A Running Leap
by Akara Suzuki
Summary: After knowing Hiei for around four years, Akako finally learns the truth. Hiei is a demon. With her fear of most everything paranormal hanging over her head, she has to adjust to the idea that he is, in fact, one of her fears come to life. While trying to cope, she learns that not only is Hiei a demon, but a fellow school mate is a powerful psychic... Full Summary Inside Hiei X OC
1. Chapter 1

A Running Leap

**Full Summary: ****After knowing Hiei for around four years, Akako finally learns the truth. Hiei is a demon. With her fear of most everything paranormal hanging over her head, she has to adjust to the idea that he is, in fact, one of her fears come to life. While trying to cope, she learns that not only is Hiei a demon, but a fellow school mate is a powerful psychic who has been training with non-other than Genkai to hone his skills to perfection. In her journeys with the Yu Yu Hakusho crew, Akako experiences many things that she wishes to have never seen in her life including demons, ghosts, ghouls running rampant, and one red-head demon that she just can't get along with. When Akako and Hiei finally get close, they are only to be separated once again by one of Hiei's many trips to Makai. Will Akako ever be able to forgive him for the way her left her, or will he not even have a chance to see her again? Find out inside! Hiei X OC**

**Okay, this is my first Hiei OC so go easy on me. I really like what I have in store for this fic. This is the first fanfiction that I have written with chapters this long so bear with me! Hope you guys like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho… Seriously, if you thought I did you really need to go get a brain scan. Gods, if I did it would have had shirtless Kurama. Now, on with the sexy!**

Running over the finish line, I sucked in a deep breath. I had come in third. What was wrong with me? I had never got less than second. Pulling my headphones out of my ears, I heard the cheering of the crowd for the winners. Even though I had placed, I didn't deserve the cheers. Placing this low was not winning in my book. You won if you were best.

I couldn't stand to hear those cheers. Shoving my headphones back in my ears, I turned the music up loud enough to drown out the sound of their gleeful cries. I knew for a fact that at least one person wasn't cheering. Even if I did come in first place, he wouldn't cheer. It was just the way he was. Ever since I had known him, he had been like that.

Making my way to the edge of the track, I sat down. For some reason I couldn't catch my breath. It would catch in my throat when I inhaled. In addition to that, my abdomen kept on getting a shot of pain with each move. It was a deep pain that pierced my core. It made me want to gasp but that wasn't possible so I ended up doing a weird chest hitching movement when I attempted to breath.

My mouth was dry from not getting enough water and my weird breathing action. I laid back onto my back in an attempt to stretch my middle out so maybe I could get more air. I wasn't able to sit up straight so this was the next best thing. Resting a gentle hand on my stomach, I closed my eyes. The gentle spring breeze pulled some of my deep red hair out of my ponytail. It was kind of odd to be a redhead and be tan. I could tan really well if I were to say so myself. I was actually darker than most girls in my grade and I didn't have freckles either. That led many people to think that I dyed my hair; which I never had and never will. I had the proof too, but I preferred not to do that.

"Akako," I heard someone speak faintly from behind me through my brain melting music. Apathetically, I pulled my headphones out to listen to whoever it was. It was probably just an annoying committee member needing me for a picture for the school paper.

"What?" I groaned. My stomach was killing me now. Maybe it was just that time of the month. Yet, my periods had never bothered me this much before. Usually I didn't even have cramps, much less breathing issues.

A growl I knew very well sounded near my head. Opening my green eyes, I saw him standing there. He had on black pants with two white belts, a blue tank top that showed off his muscles which was tucked in his pants, and his black boots that he wore all the time. Looking at his face, I saw those unforgettable red eyes of his. I looked at them for a moment. "Sorry, I don't feel too good," I said quietly. I closed my eyes tightly when another pain struck my lungs this time. "Owww," I groaned as I wrapped my arms around my middle.

"Onna," Hiei said. "You push yourself too hard. You should learn some restraint," he said. I could hear the rustle of clothing as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Here," he said. A thud sounded beside my head. I opened my eyes just a smidge to look at the object. It was my favorite purple water bottle lying beside me. It had random stickers wrapped around it so it was almost impossible to see the liquid it held. I could see the sweat the hot air made the cold air produce. It ran down the side of the bottle making my mouth get even drier if that was even possible. It was like being in a desert and seeing a puddle of water. It made you even thirstier but before you could get to it; it would evaporate in to thin air only to leave you lying there completely and utterly disappointed.

Turning to grab the bottle, I made a wrong move of my back. I felt a muscle pull and twist in compliance when I tried to move. The movements of muscles made me gasp when pain shot straight up my spine. Falling from the support of my elbows onto my face, I groaned. Picking my head up off of the bright green spring grass, I spat out a dirt and grass mixture. My mouth was now not only dry, but filled with the taste of dirt. "Damn it," I groaned. It was rare when I cursed so I got a weird look from Hiei. "Please help me up," I pleaded with him. He looked at me for a moment. His red eyes swirled with laughter unreleased and contemplation. Great friend, right? After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh. I felt his warm arms wrapped around me as he jerked me up quickly. I ground my teeth together at the pain that it produced at the base of my spine.

When he sat me down on my rear, I rubbed my back. "Thanks," I said. My voice must have held pain because a frown formed on Hiei's face. His eyebrows furrowed down very far down on his face. He must have noticed the pain I was feeling and the difference in my personality. Pain and I didn't play well together. I usually became snappy and I complained about things that would usually not annoy me.

Grabbing my bottle off of the ground, I took a large gulp. The cold water felt like heaven in my sandpaper-like throat. After drinking only enough to wet my dry throat and mouth, I sat the water bottle down. I didn't want to make myself sick. I had done that once before. It hadn't pleased me. After drinking a whole bottle of water, I retched onto the ground. I had been angry at myself. That had been a complete and utter waste of water. The thing was I had known better to do that anyways. I had just ignored my knowledge and gulped the water down like no tomorrow. That led to my demise when I got home. I was still sick afterwards. It took me forever to get used to holding things down. For some reason it had just messed up my body track.

Slowly, I pulled myself to my shaky legs. It felt like someone had ripped out my calf muscles with no regrets. I put my arms out to my sides slightly to make sure that I wouldn't fall onto my face again. When Hiei just watched, I knew he was doing only as I had told him to do. I liked to do things on my own. He was only to help if I asked or if I wasn't able to ask. "Can you please get that for me?" I asked pointing at my water bottle which lay on the ground on its side. I knew for a fact that trying to bend down and get it would not end well. Without a nod or word of agreement, he swiped the bottle off the ground in one swift motion. Placing it in my awaiting hand, he looked at me. He had to look up only slightly. I was about two inched taller than him so if he wanted to look me in the eyes he simply had to move his eyes up.

"Thank you, Hiei," I said smiling at my unemotional friend.

"Hn," was his simple reply. I chuckled slightly at his simplicity. Ah, after knowing him for a while I had gotten used to his simple replies. He was a man of few words in my eyes. I was okay with it, it was who he was and I just had to accept that if I was going to be his friend. He may seem cold and heartless to others but he had feelings under that large pretty much unbreakable barricade of his.

"Akako!" I heard someone yell. Looking to my left where the noise was loudest, I saw a committee member making his way over to me. He had to push through other people that had clustered in groups to talk most likely about something completely void of the race that had just taken place right before their eyes. It was just something that happened at every sporting event. Kids came telling their parents that they were going to cheer on their team but really they were just going to talk to their friends. It wasn't like they had enough time without ruining these too.

"Yeah, what do you need, Sano?" I asked cheerfully looking up at the taller boy. He was clad in our school's characteristic green uniform. He had the button that every committee member sported clipped to his pocket. The golden pin had the school logo on it with the member's name carved under it. It shone in the sun just enough to be painful to look at if it was at just the right angel.

"We were going to take a picture of the top three. You coming?" he asked. He didn't even seem to notice the smaller guy at my side.

"Yeah," I replied trying to bring back my usual cheerfulness that was sincere. Turning to Hiei, I saw him frowning at Sano. It kind of upset me actually. Sano happened to be one of the few committee members who done his job for the well-being of the school; not just to be popular with the other students at school. He had a great personality and judged people on characteristics, not looks or social status. We were actually pretty close friends. We would hang out some days after school or do homework sometimes. "Come on, Hiei," I laughed slightly. I stopped when it made a sharp pain hit my chest. "It won't take long," I continued less cheery this time.

"Hn," he replied. Without pausing, Sano started to lead us the way he had come from before. After walking only a moment, he fell into step beside me. He was on my left whereas Hiei was on my right. Hiei had his hands shoved into his pockets and was walking beside me calmly. His face held something else though. I knew that face; he had something on his mind. It wasn't just some little thing either, it was something really important. I had only seen that face on him a couple times before and each time he would leave. After that I wouldn't see him for months. Then miraculously he would reappear like nothing happened. It worried me at first but I had eventually got used to him not telling me where he was going.

"What happened to you out there?" Sano whispered. "You've never been that slow. I mean you may be short for a runner, but that's never happened to you," he continued in that low voice. At his question, I laid a hand on my stomach.

"I don't know. My breath just wouldn't come and I got really bad pains. I think Hiei may be right," I said. Sano looked at me obviously pondering what Hiei could possibly be right about. Sighing, I decided to answer his question before he could even ask it. "I think I'm overworking myself. My body probably can't keep up with all I'm forcing it to do." I sighed before I said something that absolutely crushed my heart. I could feel the pain it would leave to admit the inevitable. I didn't want to say it, but I knew I needed to. "I think I may have to quit track for a while. I don't want to hurt myself unintentionally and not be able to fix it," I said while looking at the ground. I watched Sano's reaction in my peripheral vision.

He stopped completely. I had to walk back to the place where he had stopped at. Crossing my arms over my chest, I looked at him sympathetically. All the while, he was looking at me dumbfounded. The wind had picked up making his brown hair ruffle and it just pulled more of my hair out of my ponytail. His brown eyes looked broken as he looked at me with a face that held hurt. My hair whipped on my face hard enough to sting. I assumed that it was leaving red marks on my face with the pain that it was causing. Giving up on the luculent failure of a hair-do, I wrenchingly tore the elastic out. I felt my rosy locks spill down my back. They reached down almost to my elbows. Many people complemented me on how my red hair and my green eyes looked good together. I customarily proceeded to nod and agreed with a similar comment. I had never really seen how they worked well together but I guess other people had different taste.

"B-but you can't. You are our star runner. You're the team captain!" he demurred against my words. I was about to tell him that it wasn't definite but Hiei intruded in our conversation.

"If she is in bad health she doesn't need to continue," he growled taking one long stride towards Sano. "You don't make decisions for her," he continued.

"Hey," I glared at Hiei. "It's not like you can make any decisions about my life either, Hiei," I persisted. "He has as much as an influence as you do, mister. Okay? He's my friend too," I stated. My words earned me a glare from my close friend.

"My thoughts should mean more than his," Hiei grumbled.

"And why is that?" Sano inquired. "You think you mean more to Akako than me?" he questioned raising an indignant eyebrow. I gawked at the two guys arguing about their importance to me. Well, Hiei was more or less growling quietly at him. It was like when your parents didn't well at you but they leaned in close and whispered. It was much, much more scary. Well, this was a first. One statement broke my thought process.

"Well, she's mine anyways so get over it, ningen," Hiei growled. I snapped my head to look at him. What the heck did he mean by 'mine' and 'ningen'? Sano's look was about the same as mine. With a look at both of us, well a look at me and a glare at Sano, Hiei left without another word. I couldn't help but to stare at his ever condensing at his ever condensing figure. My brain was now left in a muddle.

"The hell did he mean by that?" Sano asked glancing at me. Shutting my agape mouth, I wondered the same thing.

"Your guess is about as good as mine," I replied without looking at my friend. My eyes were still locked on the spot where Hiei had departed. For as long as I had known him, he had never, ever, acted like this. Usually he would just be snit in the corner and try to push people away. It was a real pity. If he were to let more people in he might have more friends. As far as I understood I was his sole friend. Letting out a huge sigh, I turned to Sano. "Let's get this over with. I need to head home," I said.

"Okay," he said. As we walked towards the other winners, there was an awkward silence between Sano and I. Gosh, had Hiei offended him that much? I stared at his back as he walked in front of me. Maybe I should apologize for Hiei's behavior. I knew for sure that he wouldn't. If I said sorry maybe that would clear things up some.

"San," I said using the nickname I had gave him. Laying my hand on his shoulder, I made us stop walking. "I'm sorry about how Hiei acted. He just doesn't know how to act around people. He's really receded into himself more than normal people," I explained. "I'm his only friend so he gets really protective. I can't say that I'm sorry enough about his behavior," I said not looking at his face. He wasn't looking at me so I wasn't going to look at him. I knew if I did I would only see that face of his.

My brain started to churn as the minute's drug out. He still wouldn't look at me. Could he possibly not accept the apology? Had Hiei completely demolished our friendship? Crap, I really needed to tell him to lay off sometimes. Now I had lost my one friend who could help me out with at school. Now I had what, six friends? The bad thing was that one certain friend, whom I was not going to name even though it was pretty obvious who he was, was hardly around; much less at school with me. This was just fantabulous. I was such a hypocrite. I was always telling Hiei that he needed to open up. I needed to just as much as he did. I really needed to fix that about myself.

Sano turned towards me slowly. The look on his face was odd. It was a mix of disgust and acceptance. "Why do you hang out with him?! You are way too good for the likes of him," he bit out angrily. "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at him for being around you and acting like he does. It seems like he treats you like a piece of shit. Seriously, Akako," he said grabbing my shoulders and shaking me slightly. He was griping my shoulders so hard that I assumed that I would have bruises the next day. "You need to stop talking to him. I-I just don't like for you to be around him," he said looking into my eyes. I could only search his face. His eyes held an emotion I had never seen present in them before. He stared at me with that look in his eyes.

I took a step back pulling my shoulders out of his iron grasp. "You know I couldn't do that to him. Gods Sano, he's came to my house after fights before. He's had blood all over him before and came to my house looking for help, and now you're asking me to stop being around him at all?" I asked raising my eyebrows. I shook my head. "I couldn't even think about doing that. I'm just gonna try to forget that you told me to do that," I said. Turning back to go to the picture area, I left Sano standing there watching me go. Maybe he was just mad at Hiei for yelling at him. I hoped that was what it was.

I approached the group of five people; two runners, a photographer and the principles of two schools. I was the only one who had placed from our school but the two first place runners were from our main rival school. Well, that only made the loss sting even more. I had never let my teammates, my school, or myself down this much. I had made my way onto an all-male team and now I was a failure. Even worse, being team captain meant that I was looked up to. The two male runners looked at me with a smirk.

"The almighty Akako falls. How does that make you feel?" the first place winner asked. I recognized him from many races. His name: Ito Masaru. He was stuck-up, bratty, and a simple pain in the ass.

Ever since I had made a deal with Coach Miyagi, he had annoyed me to death. You see, my school had a strict rule against girls playing sports. Why, I had no clue. Well, three years during my first year Coach and I had struck a simple deal; I had to place at least third in every race if he let me on the team. During practice, I was always the one to run extra laps for no reason, get the cooler that was way too heavy for someone of my size, get my face shoved into the mud, literally, and everything else Coach could think of. He was just trying to break my spirit. He learned after a while that I was a 'persistent little bugger' as he had put it. Only after I had succeeded in beating everyone on the team by a wide gap was I allowed to be an official team member. I remember pulling that green shirt over my sweat and rain drenched tank; all the guys clapping me on the back and giving me high-fives. I remember the pelting of rain against my skin as he hauled me onto their shoulders and held me far off of the ground. I had felt so accomplished. Now, I was wondering if I deserved that honor.

"Like you," I replied. "It must be hard to always place this low," I said. Laying a hand on my side, I felt that pain again. What I would give for an aspirin right now. Walking over to the principles, I bowed. "I'm sorry for the delay. I was talking to Sano," I said. Standing straight again, I looked at the two men. My principle, Mr. Hanso, had black hair with gray coming through. He was a handsome man, he had aged well. The other man, who I assumed was Toma, had black hair with no gray. Well, for him I couldn't say as much as I had for Hanso.

"Akako," Hanso said with that joy in his voice. Every time he saw me he would pull me in to a hug, and here it was. Pulling me into a huge hug, he patted my back. I had to keep myself from flinching as a pain came from the smack of his hand. I didn't want to offend him. Releasing me, we looked back at the other man. "I'm sure you know Mr. Toma," he said with a smile.

"Yes," I replied. Outstretching my hand, I waited for a shake. "Midori Akako," I said shaking his hand as he placed it in mine. "It's a pleasure to meet you officially I smiled.

"Thank you, Midori. I hear you have quite a reputation. Being on an all-male team for four seasons and being the captain. I commend you, young lady. I've known men who wouldn't be able to keep up with Miyagi's training. I've heard he puts you through it all," he said. I couldn't help but like this man. He recognized how hard it was for me to be able to do this. Many people just thought that Miyagi had let me on the team for publicity and that the real couch was my right hand man. Well, it wasn't like that. I had worked my butt off to get to the position I was in now and I didn't plan to lose my title any time soon.

"It was hard but I pushed through. I needed to do what had to be done. Anyways, I had to show these boys how it's done," I said inclining my head to where my team sat waiting on me. As soon as the pictures were taken we would have the usual team meeting. After that, we would go to the locker room that the school which we were visiting provided for us. Gosh, I couldn't wait to take a shower. Many people argued that I shouldn't be allowed in the locker room with the boys but who really gives a crap. I mean, all that they're seeing is my body. We were in our fourth and final year. Couldn't we be mature? Yes I was a girl but most of the guys had seen girls without clothes on before. It didn't bother me. I had grown up with two brothers so I was used to being around guys with no clothes. In the showers they did have the decency to look away so that was all that mattered.

"Well, let's get this over with," Hanso said clapping his hands together. "My students need to get home," he said shooting a look at the photographer he caught his attention. "We're ready!" he called waving the young man over.

"Yes," he said. After a few moments of placing us, the photographer snapped two quick photos. "Done, you may go now," he said waving us off as he stared at his camera screen. As soon as he said we could go, I walked over to my team as fast as I could without hurting myself. I could see the five guys picking themselves off of the ground to meet me.

"Akako!" Hitoshi exclaimed. Pulling me into a crushing hug, he made me cry out in pain as my middle was squeezed too hard. Hitoshi was my right hand man, and also one of my few friends. It was funny; all of my friends were male. Other girls had just never talked to me as much as guys had.

"Hitoshi, let go," I whispered as I tried to breathe. When he placed me back on the ground, I bent over instantly and what felt like holding me together. My arms shook as I wrapped them around my thin frame. It took me a couple tries to get a breath into my lungs. When I finally had, I stood up to face my team. They were all looking at me with concern.

"You okay, Boss?" the blondie Koichi asked. He was a good friend. A level head was sat on his shoulders.

"No," I groaned. "Guys, I have to tell you something," I said. Looking at them, I saw all of their expectant faces. They were waiting for their team captain to tell them something important. It broke my heart to see them waiting on me expectantly when I knew I was only going to give them bad news. "Gods, how to I say this?" I mumbled to myself. After gathering my thoughts for a moment, I took a deep breath and told them the truth. "I may have to quit." Arguments and questions immediately broke out between them. "Calm down, guys," I said. My voice immediately calmed their arguments. "I'm not sure. I've started to have breathing issues and sharp pains. It may just be my monthly thing but who knows. I just wanted to tell you about it so you would know. Even if I can't run I'll be at the meets and practices. I won't give up that easily," I said. "Without further ado," I said, "let's all go take showers. We smell like filthy hogs." I tried to bring up their moods. I didn't want them to get hung up on my dilemma.

"Yeah, you smell the worse, Boss," Hitoshi said with a smile. At times he could be such a child but he was very trustworthy. He could be mature when he needed to be. That was why I like him being around so much. He was one of the few people that I knew who could throw his cares and worries to the wind and not wonder what would happen. He always acted like nothing was wrong when he needed to calm someone down. It came in handy like that one time when Haku broke his ankle on a practice run. He had kept him calm while I splinted it. I laughed at his comment. Turning to the school, I started to make my way back to the locker room water bottle in hand. We walked the hill that lead up to the school from the track. Only after half way up the incline, I could hardly catch my breath. It was a shame. Usually I could full out sprint up hills with a worse incline than this but no, apparently that wasn't happening.

"Need some help?" Koichi asked coming up beside me. All I could do was nod my head. At this rate I would never make it up the hill. Crouching down in front of me, Koichi waited for me to get on. Wrapping my arms around the muscular blonde, I hung on and waited for him to rise. As he rose, I tightened my grip on his neck slightly. "You're fine," he said. "I gotcha, Boss," he said in a soft tone. It was a break from his usual deep voice. I had always wondered why the guys had called me Boss. The only thing I could think was that since I was captain I was like a boss so that was what I had been dubbed. His soft tone made me remember how much they cared about me. Whenever I had got sick with the flu, the whole team had flocked into my tiny bedroom. Our youngest member who was a second year, Haku, had cried. Why, I still had no clue to this day. I guess they all looked up to me.

As I was carried up the hill, the gentle movements of Koichi's steps made my eyelids get heavy. Gosh, I was tired and it was only six in the afternoon. The race had probably just taken a lot out of me. After trying to fight sleep for a while, I gave up the battle. My head laid on Koichi's shoulder as we continued to ascend up the hill. I felt the grunt of acknowledgement his chest made as my head rested on his large shoulder. For such a muscly guy, Koichi could run. Many thought his bulky figure held him back but he had always been really good at keeping his own. It had surprised me the first time we had raced. I had thought he would be one of the easiest on the team to beat but man had I been wrong. I took me at least a month just to beat him.

When Koichi stopped walking, it kind of jerked me awake. Looking up, I saw that we were in the locker room. Slipping off of his back, I walked over to where I had left my things when we had changed before. I stripped down naked and wrapped my towel around me. Not that it bothered me if the guys saw me; it was just the lady like thing to do. Wow, I was turning into my mother. Grabbing my towel and bathing things out of my bag, I went to the showers. Entering the room, I was used to the general look. It was a big room with no stalls or a way to conceal your body what so ever. There were six pairs of shower heads spaced evenly apart, three on each wall which meant twelve people could shower at the same time. Well, luck for us we all got a set to ourselves. Picking the one closest to the door because I was too sleepy to walk any further, I laid my towel across the rack. Sitting my shampoo and things with it, I turned on the water. Stepping under it, I felt the scalding water beat against my skin. It made me sigh as I could practically feel the stink coming off of my body. Reaching over to the side, I grabbed my bottle of shampoo. Pouring enough into my hair for my flowing locks, I started to lather. I could hear the guys making their way to the showers as their laughter was carried through the concrete hall. I sighed as I heard their voices get louder and closer. Well, there went any peace I could hope for.

I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair to feel the suds slide down my body, swirl around my feet for a moment, then slip down the drain with a gurgle. Right as I grabbed my body wash to start trying to scrub off some of the stench that my sweat had left on me, the boys walked in. Not to my surprise, they were all completely naked with their towels slung over their shoulders. Men and pride issues. Closing my eyes, I let the water run down my face one last time. "Hey, Boss!" Hitoshi said. I acknowledged him with a grunt of reply. At the moment the only thing I wanted to do was go home and sleep. Taking my puffy scrub thing, I started to rub the scratchy texture of my body wash into my skin. I could feel the beads that it held rubbing off the dead layer of skin that clung to my body. With it went the stench of the day. I heard a whistle from one of the guys. Opening my eyes, I looked at them to see which one it had been.

Saburo, the tall brunette, had done it. I raised an eyebrow clearly asking what he had meant by it with my right arm frozen in place still scrubbing my left bicep. "You scrapping enough skin off?" he asked. Looking down, I saw that my skin as a bright red color from being scratched too hard.

"Oh," I said not realizing how hard I had been scrubbing. All the guys laughed at me.

"Hey," Haku cut in. "Leave her alone. Boss is just tired," he said crossing his arms over his thin chest. I couldn't help but smile at the kid.

"Thanks," I said. "At least I know he has some loyalty," I sighed. I laughed when all the guys started saying that they had loyalty and such. "Ah, get in the showers. You smell," I smiled.

"Okay, Boss," Saburo smiled that cocky smile of his. I rolled my eyes and continued to wash only gentler this time. When I was finally done, I cut the water off. Grabbing my towel, I wrapped it tightly around myself. Walking down the hallway back to the changing room, I had my things in hand. The only thing on my mind was my bed. When I saw my things, I immediately dried off. Laying my towel to the side, I put on my bra and underwear. Going back to my towel, I folded it. It was still wet but I would dry it when I got home. Many people preferred to use the towels that the school provided but that was too unsanitary for me. Grabbing my khaki's I pulled them on quickly. Rummaging through my bag for a moment, I looked for my gray t-shirt. Finding it, I pulled it over my head. On the front, it had a picture of a dragon. Feeling my hair dampen my shirt, I groaned. Taking it in my hands, I wrung it out onto the floor. Water dripped onto the floor. The impact of its descent made some of it splash back onto my ankles. When I was satisfied with my hair being not so wet, I quickly braided it down my back. I didn't have time to mess with it hanging in my face all the time so this would have to work.

As I packed my thing back up, I thought about what had happened today. Gosh, I had really messed up with Sano. I knew for a fact that Hiei was most likely mad at me. Well, this would be fun to try to sort out. When my things were all packed, I sat down on the bench and pulled on my socks and sneakers. Looking around, I most of the guys were all most ready if not already. We waited as the slackers pulled on their last items of clothing or half-hazardly shoved an item into their duffle. "Let's go," I said indicating towards the door with my head. As I walked out of the room, I could hear the guys following suit. Ah, it was good to feel in charge.

Right as my moment of glory started, it ended when a pain hit me in the ribs. I dropped my duffel onto the ground and gasped as I tried to breath. This time it was like there was cotton in my mouth. After a moment, I felt someone smack me on the back. The sharp smack made my lungs jump back into their job. Crumpling to the floor, I sucked in deep breaths of air. It felt so good to breathe. "You know, you should probably go see a doctor," I heard Hitoshi say somewhere behind me.

"I will if it doesn't stop in a couple days," I said looking around. No one was staring at me oddly so I just got up on shaky legs. Yukio, the last member of our team, handed me my bag off of the ground. "Thanks, kid," I said to the guy who was a year younger than me. I really had no right to call him kid but it was just a name most of them had come to have.

"No prob," he replied with a nod of his head. Nodding back, I made my way to the doors of the school. Once we got to the bus stop, it would be a fifteen minute ride to my house. Okay, I could live with that. As we exited the school, I wondered what could be wrong with me. Maybe it was just my periods being all freaked out. Who knew? Well, a doctor would know but I wasn't a doctor so that was that. When Saburo broke off of the group as we were on the sidewalk going towards the bus stop to go to his place, he laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Be careful. Don't push yourself," he said.

"You got it," I saluted with a smile. With a smile in return, he gave me a gentle hug.

"Make Koichi bring your stuff home for you," he said. "He goes by your house anyways," he smiled.

"Sure thing," I said. Pushing him away, I said, "Now go home." He laughed as he walked away. "Joker," I mumbled. As the team and I continued to walk, different people broke off at random points to go to their house with a goodbye and a smile. Soon, only Koichi and I were left at the stop.

"You should listen to Saburo. He's right, be careful on yourself," he said as he looked on for the bus. I groaned.

"I know, I know. You don't have to lecture to me like I'm a four year old," I said.

"Sure we don't. If we didn't you would be right back out there tomorrow," he said. I only looked down at my feet. I knew he was right. "Coach won't push you when you're down like this. He'll give you a break. You deserve it anyways," he said. Right as I was about to reply, the bus pulled to a halt in front of us. Grabbing mine and his bag off of the ground, Koichi boarded the bus. I followed after him. Locating a seat, we both slouched in it. My legs felt like Jell-O and not the good kind either. I closed my eyes and waited for our stop to come. The only thing that kept me awake was the potholes the bus driver would occasionally hit.

"Get up, Akako. It's our stop," I heard Koichi say. Opening my eyes, I saw he was right. Jumping up, I made my way to the front of the bus.

"Thanks," I said to the elderly man who drove. He tipped his hat to me.

"Now you have a good day, young lady," he said in a sweet voice.

"Will do, sir," I replied. Hooping down the steps, I couldn't wait to go home. When the bus doors closed, I turned to see Koichi holding both our bags. I nodded my head when I saw him. I walked as fast as I could to my apartment. When we got to the building, I buzzed the button to let us up. "It's me, Akako," I said before the doorman could even ask. When the door buzzed a moment later, I grabbed the handle and threw it open. Making my way to the elevator, I clicked the door button open button. After waiting for a moment, the door opened for us to enter. Stepping inside, I clicked the fourth floor button. As we traveled up, I turned to Koichi. "Thanks for carrying my stuff for me," I said.

"It was nothing. You would do it for any of us," he said. When the elevator stopped and opened its doors, I traveled down the hallway to locate my apartment. 413…414…415…Yes, 416. Shoving my key in the hole, I turned the lock. I could hear the bolts turning in the lock. Swinging the door open, I let Koichi enter.

"Just sit it down in my room," I said. "You want anything to drink?" I asked making my way to the kitchen. On the fridge, I saw a note from my parents.

Akako,

We are out at dinner and won't be back till late. Good job at the race. We had to leave as soon as you were done. We're so sorry about that, dear. Love you. There is food in the fridge.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Reading the note fully, I smiled at the crappy heart my mother had drawn. I was happy that they had got out. They hadn't done anything in a while. It would be good for them. "No thanks," I heard Koichi reply from somewhere in my house.

"Okay," I replied. Note in hand, I made my way to my room. I found Koichi in there laying my bag on my bed. "Thanks again," I smiled.

"Ah, well I better get home, Boss," he said. "Be careful," he said looking at me skeptically.

"What?" I said looking at him. "It's not like I'm gonna lift the fridge or anything," I sighed.

"You better not," he said. "Night," he said as he exited me room. After a moment, I heard the front door close. Digging in my bag, I found the dirty things. Pulling them out, I brought them to the laundry room to be washed later. Heading on into the kitchen, I realized that I didn't have much of an appetite. After eating an apple, I headed back to my room to get ready for bed. Brushing my teeth and taking my hair down, I just decided to sleep in my clothes. They were comfortable after all so why worry. Turning off my bedside light, I closed my eyes and fell asleep in the fastest time I think I had ever accomplished.

**YAYYYY! That is the end of chapter one. I hope you guys liked it. If you noticed, pretty much Akako herself is a huge pun. Her first name means red child while her last means green. Her looks are playing off all of the yaoi that is written about Hiei and Kurama. I wanted to break the rules a bit so I made her taller than him. Many of the names of my favorite characters of different series are used here also. Well, I hope you guys had fun with this and continue to read! PLEASE REVIEW!**

**3 Akara S.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I would just like to thank the people who did read and comment on this story. I'm happy that you guys like it enough to review it!**

**DemonMiko Jenna: Well, you sound so confident in me… Nah, I love you Jenna. Thanks for reading this. And to answer your question she doesn't know that Hiei is a demon. When she's going to figure out I still have no clue. That shows how much I plan ahead! :p**

**middlekirtz: Thanks you for reviewing. It means a lot to me. I'm happy that you want to read more on my story. Hope you continue to read it!**

**Disclaimer: Is this seriously necessary?! We all know that we will probably never own YYH but if we did we would all make it SO much longer. Anyways, I don't own any of the YYH characters blah blah blah… ON WITH THE STORY!**

I looked in her window to watch her sleep. Her gentle sleeping face only made my emotions churn. My stomach felt like a cauldron of poison. It would just boil until I saw her. When I did, it would tighten and push poison out into my system. Not just any poison; the poison of want. For so long I had wanted her but I hadn't done a thing about it. She was still innocent which surprised me. Looking at her lying there in her bed made it feel like that poison was in my whole body killing me if I didn't get the only antidote. Her…

Dammit, why was I letting this go this far?! If I had just ignored her and walked away that first day this would have never started. But that first day when I had saw her; something had not just let me walk off like I should have. The thing that got to me was that no matter how much I told myself that I could have walked away, I knew that I wouldn't have really been able to. The way her fruity scent had smelt in that hot summer air… UGH! Why was I doing this to myself? I was as bad as Kurama and that damn ningen mother of his.

I stopped my mental torture when I saw Akako turn over in her sleep. The way her body moved made me stare at her. That red hair of hers fell all over her face like a veil. It made her features visible yet clouded. When I felt myself unconsciously leaning towards her from my tree, I immediately snapped myself back into place. I was NOT going to do anything to her. I had told myself that when I first met her and I planned on keeping that. Unless if she asked of course than it would be a different story…

When I saw the movement of her legs from the corner of my eye, I focused back on her. She twisted and turned in bed for a moment before finally stopping her movement. Well, I thought that but then she stretched out only to stop half way through the stretch to gasp. I saw her bright green eyes flash open. Pain was obvious in them. I watched frozen in place as she gasped for breath. Closing her eyes, I saw her grit her teeth. Slowly curling into a ball, I saw her body shaking. That was when I couldn't stand it anymore.

Jumping out of my tree, I landed on the tiny ledge of her window. Grasping the bottom of the window in my hands, I just hoped it was unlocked. Just one laps in memory to give me the ability to get to her was all I needed. I felt the Jagan open and glowing under the bandana. When it opened and saw her, it just sent another wave of want through my body. I ground my teeth at my reaction. I had no time for this. I had to help her. Taking my chances, I pushed up on the window. When I moved, I felt a smile come onto my face. Pushing it up the rest of the way, I slid silently into her room.

Walking over to her bed, I watched her for a moment. I could smell salt. Why could I smell salt? Leaning over her, I looked at her face. I saw the streaks that tears had left on her face. Clenching my fist, I realized how much pain she was in. Reaching out quickly, I laid a hand on her shoulder and shook it gently. "Akako," I growled.

When she didn't answer, I repeated the process. It took me shaking her a few times before she answered. "Wh… what?" she asked through gasp. Looking at her chest, I saw that she would try to take in a breath but it was like she couldn't make it go to her lungs.

"What's wrong?" I growled. I mentally smacked myself. She couldn't breathe. That was obvious. I didn't have time for such trivial things as this. She was in pain and I was standing here like an idiot.

"I can't… breathe," she choked out. "Hurts… too much," she continued. I saw how much time and effort it took her to get out that simple thought. As I looked at her lying there, my eyes slowed over her chest and legs. They were very good looking. DAMMIT! I needed to focus but all I could think about was her damn body. Had it always been like this? "Aspirin," she said. "In the… bathroom. Over the sink," she said.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw a door leading off into a second room. Taking it, I entered her bathroom. Quickly, I looked for the sink. Locating it, I went over to it as fast as I could. 'Okay, she said it was over the sink,' I thought. The only thing there was a mirror! How could something be there if a mirror was there? I growled and went back to her bed. "There is only a mirror," I bit out.

"Behind the mirror, doofus," she said still in pain. Well, at least she could still insult me. I guess that was a good sign. Zipping back into the bathroom, I went back to the mirror. Okay, behind the mirror she says. I'll look behind the mirror. Placing my hands of both sides of the frame the metal piece of glass was in, I pulled. Slamming myself in the face with the thing, I stumbled back when only the right side of the mirror came open. Righting myself quickly, I went back over to the blasted thing. Looking at the side that was slightly open, I placed one hand one it and pulled slightly. When it opened further, I was happy to find a shelf behind it. Well, I was happy until I saw the wide array of thing behind it. 'Aspirin she said,' I thought again. I had seen her take one of those pills before when she was in pain. Know the thing was to find them.

Grabbing one of the many bottles, I looked at the label. 'Vitamin C' that wasn't it. Throwing that to the side, I looked at a different one. 'Gummy Vitamins' I growled as I threw it to the side. Grabbing more of the bottles, I examined them. 'Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Pamprin, Vitamin B.' Going back to the one that wasn't a vitamin, I chose it. There were about two more bottles in the cabinet but I didn't care to look. Going back to the room, I shoved the bottle at her. "Here," I said.

When she grabbed the bottle from my hand, I felt her hand shaking. She reached over to her bedside table to turn on her light but my hand beat her there. Light filled the room making me able to see her better. I could see a sheen of sweat on her skin. As she examined the bottle, she started to laugh. "Pamprin," she read aloud. "Good for cramps, bloating, headache, and fatigue," she laughed. "It'll work," she said. When she tried to sit herself up, I saw pain spread over her face. I grabbed her arm and helped her up. "Thanks," she said quietly. Grabbing her water, she let it slip from her grasp half way over to her. Swiftly, I caught it and handed it back to her. I was still waiting for her to freak out because I was in her room at 2 am. Sitting the glass between her legs, she pried the bottle open with shaking arms. Shaking two pills out, she handed the bottle and lid to me. Twisting the cap back on, I sat the bottle on the small table.

Putting the pills in her mouth, she lifted the glass to her lips and took a drink. I saw her swallow a couple times and then pull the glass away. I took it from her and sat it on the table. "Thanks, Hiei," she said. Easily, she scooted herself back into bed. I watched her lay there for a moment before she spoke again. "I'm cold, Hiei," she whispered. I swallowed. I didn't need this. She didn't know what she was saying but less doing. She cracked her eyes open a little bit. "Don't let me freeze," she said looking at me with desperation in her eyes. Against my better judgment, I slipped my shoes off. With one last swallow, I crawled into her bed beside her.

She sighed. "You're warm, you know that? Like a little space heater," she chuckled. I lay as stiff as a board as far away from her as possible. After a moment, she scooted back against me. My eyes grew wide. Did this onna know what she was doing to me? "Calm down," she mumbled. "We're just sleeping, not having sex," she continued in that sleepy voice of hers. I listened to her breathe evenly for a moment. With every breath she took I could feel her chest expanding. When her breath didn't hitch, I relaxed a little. "Remember when we first met?" she mumbled.

"Yeah," I replied.

"I'm happy we met, Hiei. That was one of the best days of my life," she mumbled. I could tell she was about to go to sleep because her words were slurring. "Night, Hiei," she said. I grunted at her words. It wasn't like I was going to get any sleep anyways with her pressed up against me. After a moment, I could tell she had gone to sleep by the way her breath was. I laid there for a moment looking up at the ceiling before her leg moved in her sleep coming back to kick me in the shin. Oh great, she kicked. "Hiei…" she mumbled. At first I thought she had woken up again but then I realized she was talking in her sleep. "No… I don't want more ice cream," she continued on with her sleep talking. She was kind of cute when she talked in her sleep like this. What was she dreaming about though? When she moved her head some, I felt her hair tickle my face. "Dang you, old man," she groaned again. I raised an eyebrow at her words. Well, I was going to do this the easy way. Using the Jagan, I went into her dreams.

* * *

I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. The park was zipping past me as I continued to run. The music from my iPod pounded in my ears. My thin running shoes made almost no noise as my feet made contact with the ground. I could feel that recognizable ache slowly coming into my legs. First it would be an ache, then it would turn into a full out muscle spasm if I didn't continue to run. I had to push past it though. If I was going to be on the team I had to train; using all my time on this was not going to be a waste. I was pouring all my time and effort into this so I better get on. Still running, I unscrewed the cap on my water bottle that I held in my left hand. Throwing my head back, I let the liquid run down my throat. The wash of cold was like heaven to my burning throat.

With my eyes still closed I continued to drink, which was a bad idea, I also continued to run, which was an even worse idea. Out of nowhere, I felt myself smack right into someone. Opening my eyes quickly, I felt my water bottle slip from my hands. I watched as it arched into the air, all the while I was falling slowly. It was like being in The Matrix. Everything was in slow motion. Well, that was until the water splashed onto black hair. Time sped and I slammed into the concrete sidewalk landing on my butt. Looking at the black boots of the person whom I had ran into, I swallowed. Slowly, I raised my eyes to look them in the face.

He was about my height maybe a little shorter with black hair which stuck straight up but it was kind of flopped down due to the fact that it was soaked with water. A white starburst type thing was right at the front. He wore a black tank top and black pants with two white belts. The tank top was tucked into his pants that rose high on his waist. Well, he had a thing for black I could tell. Gothic maybe? Looking at his face again, I was startled by a pair of bright red eyes glaring back at me. I faintly noticed his right bandaged arm crumpling an ice cream cone that no longer had ice cream in it. On his shirt, a large green glob of what I assumed to be mint ice cream melted slowly in the summer heat.

"I'm so sorry," I stared up at him wide eyed. "I wasn't looking where I was going," I felt my words tumble out of my mouth messily. I couldn't help but to stare at his face. 'He's really attractive,' I thought to myself. At my thoughts, I blushed slightly. Picking myself off of the sidewalk, I dusted my shorts off. Looking down at my legs, I saw blood running down the back of my calf. I would just have to clean it up later. Spotting my purple water bottle on the ground, I went to retrieve it. "Like I said," I told him as I bent over to get my bottle, "I'm really sorry." Examining my bottle, I frowned down at it. A scuff mark had been made on the top near the cap when the bottle had crashed to the ground. It was a shame, I really liked this bottle. Ah, it would give it character. "Hey," I said facing the guy again.

"What do you want, onna?" he growled.

"Well, I was just going to say that I would buy you another ice cream," I said looking at his shirt. "It's the least I could do to make up for getting yours smushed," I said smiling at my word. I had always liked the word smushed. He stared at me with those red eyes of his. Staring right back, I got pulled into their depts. They were like a tumbling sea of blood splashing and churning over and over. At one point I thought they were going to spill over with the emotions churning in them. There was one emotion in them that I couldn't place. "You know," I said quietly still staring in his eyes. "Your eyes are really pretty," I said tilting my head to the side as if it would give me a better look at them. His face was kind of freaked out at that. He looked all twitchy. At first, I tried to hold back my laughter but I failed miserably. Bending over at the waist, I let all of my laughter out in one big burst. I felt myself snort as I sucked in my mouth. I could feel my face grow red from laughing so much. I could feel the heat of the sun burning through my thin yellow running tank to warm my skin. The back of my legs burning in the summer sun as it turned my skin a different color from behind. "Oh… my… hahaha!" I laughed.

When he growled, it only made me laugh harder. "Stop laughing, onna," he bit out. Standing up to face him, I had to hold in more laughter. His face and body language was a serious, it was just that huge mint colored stain made him look like a four year old. It would be even funnier if he was pouting. Oh gods, that would be hilarious.

"Okay, I'm done," I said trying to catch my breath. "Like I said, I know an ice cream shop down the road. I'll get you another one and you can clean yourself up some," I said. "Oh, I'm Midori Akako," I said giving my name to him. He just looked at me for a moment before nodding. It was like he had to accept that I wasn't lying about my name.

"Hiei," he said in that deep voice of his that didn't seem to match his body size.

"So, Hiei," I said using his name. Pushing some hair behind my ear that had escaped my ponytail, I looked at him. "What do you say?" For some reason I really liked to say his name. I liked how it sounded… Whoa, what was I thinking?! Maybe I had been out in the sun for too long. Going to that ice cream shop was sounding better and better. I needed to fill up my water bottle anyways so why not get something sweet and get a taste of some AC while I was at it. I would just have to call Mom and tell her that it would be late. She probably wouldn't mind. Mom was probably trying to feed Hiro and Dad. She was just lucky Kin had left for college last year. Now she just had to feed four of us and not five. It may not seem like much but at one point in time I swear Kin could eat half of his body weight at one time.

"Hn. Sure," Hiei grunted. His words pulled me out of my thoughts. I felt a huge smile spread on my face. For some reason I loved the thought of him coming with me somewhere.

"Let's go!" I laughed grabbing his hand out of my excitement. I was startled by the heat it held. "Are you okay?" I asked looking from his hand to his face. In response to my question, he yanked his hand away. "I'll take that as you're not going to tell me. Well, I'm okay with that. Let's get going then," I said with less enthusiasm than at first. Turning towards the shop, I sighed. Thankfully I passed the store on my way anyways so no backtracking would be involved. When we started to walk, I had to look behind me occasionally to make sure Hiei was still there. He made almost no noise in his boots. It was funny because I had on thin running shoes and I was making more noise than he was. Usually shoes like that would make a horrid racket on concrete but no. He was quiet; almost completely silent.

When we reached the shop, I threw open the glass doors. The wall of cold air that hit me in the face made me sigh. It was heaven. I could feel the cool air drying up the sweat that was on my skin. Taking some steps in, I closed my eyes and relished in the feel of the air on my skin. It was sucking up all of the heat that the sun had left on me making me feel relaxed and sleepy. "Ah, Akako, what are you doing here?" I heard the familiar voice of the old man at the counter. His name was Arata and he owned this little ice cream shop that had made me happy many times before.

"We just got back. Okinawa was beautiful around this time. It would have been even prettier if we would have gone in the spring," I smiled remembering how my family had gone to Okinawa to see my grandmother. Looking behind me, I saw Hiei still standing at the door of the shop. He was looking around the shop like he was taking in every little detail of it; all the windows, table, and doors. It was kind of odd actually. Was he one of those people who had to see every escape route in a room when he entered? I must have run into a real whacko. When he looked satisfied with his surroundings, he walked further into the shop. I smiled when he stopped beside me. He may have been a whacko but he was a sexy one. Wait, what was I thinking?! Shaking my head, I tried to chase the thought away.

"This is Hiei," I said gesturing to him. "Would you mind if he used the bathroom and cleaned up. I ran into him and made him spill his ice cream on himself," I smiled like a three year old. I couldn't help but to laugh. I must sound like an idiot.

"Sure thing, Akako. It's down that hall and to the right. The last door before you hit the dead end," Arata pointed Hiei in the right direction. We both watched as he made his way down the hall. When he made it in the right room, Arata turned back to me. Leaning on the top of the glass that separated you from the ice cream, he smiled at me. "You know, you're growing up. I remember when you were this little," he said lifting his hands off of the floor up to his waist. I laughed.

"I remember that. I tended to come and eat all of your ice cream," I smiled.

"So, how's it been trying to get on that track team? You've made a big ruckus start up over it. Trying to get on an all-male team being 14 and a girl and such…" he said.

"Ah," I said waving my hand as if to dismiss him. "I've been holding my own. The guys on the team have accepted me. It's just Coach. Well, at least I'm not eating dirt anymore. Literally," I added. "I've only got to beat three more guys. They're all fourth years so I've been having to train extra hard," I said. All the while, Arata had been getting my ice cream. I was a girl who liked almost all of the flavors but it was like Arata always knew what I wanted. No matter when I came in he would always give me something that made me love the old man more. Since my grandparents lived in Okinawa, Arata was like a grandfather to me. When I was little I would come here and sit with him for hours in this little shop. I had let out many of my hopes and dreams to the old man. I had always told him that that if I had no one else to, I would want him to walk me down the aisle. It was always good to have someone in mind. Even though I had two more brothers than necessary, I had always seen the old man doing it for some reason. Maybe it was because he understood me so much.

"I see," he said. "I know you'll get it, Akako. You've always got what you put your mind to. To stubborn not to," he added the last part with a laugh. When he handed me my ice cream, he smiled. Right before I could grab the ice cream, he pulled it back behind him. "You get the ice cream when you answer my questions and I get some answers," he smiled. "One: Who's the guy?"

"A friend," I said. Leaning over the counter, I tried to grab the cone. Leaning all of my weight on the counter, I felt my feet come off of the floor. I was about to leap over the counter when Arata wiggled his finger in my face.

"Don't even try it, little lady. Two:" he said. After a long pause, he took a deep breath as if to prepare for what he was going to say. "Is anything going on?" he asked. He looked very old when he asked that. Still with my mind focused on the ice cream, I continued to groan as he kept it just out of my reach. The frozen dairy product was calling my name. It was singing like a siren to a man that it wanted.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked continuing to reach for the ice cream. It was all I wanted and Arata knew it. Cruel old man knew how to get to me.

"Is ANYTHING going on?" he asked looking at me with raised eyebrows. Stopping my attempts to get the ice cream, I placed my feet back onto the floor. I stared at the old man for a moment. What had he meant by that? "Dear gods please help this child if you do anything else," Arata said looking up. After a large sigh, he looked at me. His face looked like that of someone trying to explain the fact that you had to breathe to live. "You know," he said. "Gods, I can't believe I'm explaining this to you… The ponfarr, the gentleman's trolley, Austrian popsicles?" he listed off. I looked at Arata for a moment before I understood what he was saying. I felt my eyes get large.

"EWW NO!" I yelled staring at the old man I had known for so long. "Why did you think that?!" I asked. Things were swirling through my mind. Right as I was about to continue to yell at the old man, he shoved my ice cream into my open mouth.

"Seems like your little friend is back," he said. Looking over to my right with Arata still holding the ice cream to my mouth, I saw Hiei standing there. He was looking at the two of us like we were complete idiots. Well, I assume we did look pretty stupid. I mean Arata standing there shoving the cone of ice cream into my mouth with me looking like I was going to smack him. Looking over at Arata out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smile like a child. "Well, I see you've cleaned yourself up. What kind of ice cream do you want?" he asked. I grabbed the cone Arata was still holding to my mouth. Pulling it away, I felt my cold lips with my fingertips. Dang that old man and his evil tricks.

Hiei looked at the selections of ice cream for only a moment before making his decision. "Mint," he said pointing to the vat of green colored ice cream. Arata then quickly started to scoop out the ice cream placing it in a cone. Hiei watched as Arata scooped it out. It was like if he didn't do it just right, the inevitable would happen. "So," Arata said. At the old man's voice, Hiei's head snapped up to look at him. "How did you meet my little Akako?" he asked. Handing the ice cream over the counter to Hiei, he done the same thing to him that he had done to me. Right as Hiei reached to grab it, Arata pulled it back. By the look on Hiei's face, I could tell her was not amused by Arata's behavior. He must have felt like I had.

"She ran into me," he said crossing his arms over his chest. "Give me the damn ningen treat," he growled. My head snapped over at that. Why had he implied that it was a human treat? Ah, who knew? Looking at his chest, I noticed instead of a big glob of mint ice cream there was a huge wet spot that took up nearly half of his chest. The material of his shirt clung to the skin underneath. I couldn't help but to stare at the muscles that were hidden behind that loose black tank. I had to force my mouth to stay shut as I continued to take glances at him. He had a really good body. All the guys on the track team had muscles but they were lean and built to run. Hiei on the other hand had a more muscular chest than them. He was built for fights it looked like. Maybe he was in the yakuza… That would suck. Looking at his right hand, I saw that it was bandaged all the way up to his bicep. What had caused that?

"You pass," Arata said offering the ice cream to Hiei. Hiei then snatched it out of the old man's hand. With one last glare at Arata, he started to eat his ice cream. Making my way to the table closest to the counter, I took a seat.

"Hey, Arata," I said grabbing the old man's attention. When he turned to me, I continued. "Can you fill this up for me?" I asked tossing my water bottle to him. I was surprised when he grabbed it out of the air with one hand.

"I'll leave you two kids alone," he winked at us. I blushed at his words and Hiei scoffed. Arata left with a loud throaty laugh. I groaned and slammed my head against the table a few time. With each hit, I said a word. "I… can't… believe… him," I said continuing to bang my head. When I finally stopped, I closed my eyes and sighed. "He really would do that," I mumbled.

"I assume he meant something sexual by that," Hiei said with absolutely no emotion at all. I squeaked at that. Felling my cheeks grow red, I thought of Hiei's words. When mental images came in mind, I sucked in a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I forced them out of my mind. I heard Hiei laugh once loudly; that only made me blush more. So I wasn't the one thinking about that. "Onna," he growled looking at me.

"What?" I asked in the same tone that he used with me. If he was going to use that tone with me he would get the same treatment.

"You need to learn to stop staring at people. They actually notice," he said looking at me from the corner of his eye. Lifting my head quickly, I looked at him. I faintly noticed that his hair and shirt were completely dry. How had that happened? It was pretty much impossible. I was about to retort when Arata reentered the room. Throwing my water bottle back, he smiled.

"You kids have fun?" he asked with another wink. I couldn't help but to frown at him.

"Plenty," I groaned. Arata had such a Cheshire cat grin on his face that I thought cheeks were going to be stretched permanently. Old men and their old men ways; why did they have to be able to do crap like this?I heard both Hiei and Arata laugh at me. Eating the last bite of my ice cream, I wiped my hand together to clean them off. "Not that this isn't enjoyable but I need to keep running," I said. "How much do I owe you?" I asked Arata.

"It's on the house for the two love birds," he snickered.

"Oh gods," I groaned. Looking at Hiei, I smiled. "Well, I guess I'll see you later," I said. I didn't want to say goodbye because that would mean not seeing him again. Hiei just grunted at my words. Walking over to the door, I looked back at him one last time. Why did I feel like this was just the beginning of something a lot bigger than I could comprehend?

* * *

I stared down at her. So, she was dreaming about the first time we had met. It was odd seeing it from her point of view. She had been attracted to me but she hadn't admitted it. Hn, ningen logic. They never said anything that they wanted to. Why was Fox so attracted to them then? The better question was why was I so attracted to this one in specific? Ever since that day, I had not been able to forget about the way she had looked at me for the first time. The way her cheeks had turned red.

I growled at myself. I had really let this go too far. But how could I stay away from her? Every time I looked at her I couldn't possibly think of leaving her. Just the thought made me cringe; and that ningen boy today. I felt my anger spike when I thought of the way he looked at her. She didn't even notice that he had clearly meant that he had liked her; in more ways than one too. I just wanted to wrap my hands around this thin little neck and squeeze. If it weren't for that baby I would. He would be furious if I done anything to him.

Akako's movement made me freeze in place. She turned her body over to where she was facing me. When she pressed her face into my chest, I felt the Jagan flash open. I had to clear my throat slightly to be able to breathe. I felt her hands grab onto my shirt pulling me closer to her. I heard her grunt slightly in her sleep. Oh gods, she really didn't know how attractive she was making herself. I wonder what she would do if she were awake. Would she still do this or would she lie as far away from me as possible? Her hot breath on my chest eventually made me go to sleep. How I had managed that, I had no clue.

* * *

Waking up, I felt warm arms wrapped around me. It felt so good so I just snuggled further into them. When I felt them tighten around me, I smiled. Then I remember the night before. How had Hiei gotten into my room? Jumping up, I held myself up with my hands. Gasping, I looked over. Sure enough at my side lay a sleeping Hiei. How had he slept through my little panic attack right there?

Then a pain hit me in the chest. I gasped for breath as I grabbed the material over my chest. Then the nausea hit me. Jumping out of bed, I tried to get to the bathroom quickly. To my surprise, my legs gave out under me. Crawling as fast as I could to the toilet, I leaned over it just in time to vomit. I was disgusted when I saw my hair get in it. Looking at it only made me sick again. This time, I felt someone grab my hair. Reaching up, I flushed the toilet. Gathering spit in my mouth, I spat it out in the toilet. I froze when I saw blood. "Oh gods," I whispered. I was spitting up blood. That wasn't normal.

Looking over my shoulder, I looked at whoever was holding my hair. When I saw Hiei's face, I swallowed. He looked angry. Was he mad at me for waking him up or something? "You need to go the doctor, onna," he growled. I could only nod my head. Getting up slowly, I walked back into my room. Going to my closet, I grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

"I'm gonna take a shower… Then I'm gonna go talk to my mom," I said. Walking into my bathroom, I froze when I heard Hiei behind me. "What are you doing?" I asked without turning around.

"With what just happened, I'm not going to let you stand in a slippery stall with no way of getting any help if you fall and hurt yourself," he said crossing his arms over his chest. I glanced at my awkwardly clear shower curtain… It was odd because the guys had seen me take a shower multiple times but the thought of Hiei seeing me without my clothes on made me blush. I mean for four years I had liked him and one morning he shows up in my room holding me in his arms. Now he's saying that he isn't going to leave when I take a shower. I felt my face grow a deep shade of red.

"Don't look," I said. I smacked myself mentally at the way my voice had got an octave higher. I turned to Hiei. "Promise not to look?" I asked. I felt like a three year old for some reason. He just rolled his eyes at my question. "Promise?" I repeated.

"Sure," he said unemotionally. But I knew he was thinking something else. The way his eyes swam made me swallow. I knew that look. I had never understood what it meant and I probably never would.

"Close your eyes," I said. When he closed his eyes, I watched him for a moment. Watching all the while, I took my clothes off. Backing up, I went to the shower. Without looking away from Hiei, I fumbled for the dial. Hearing the water turn on, I looked back only for a split second to step in. As soon as I was in, I looked back at Hiei. He was standing there with his eyes closed and an unamused look on his face.

As quick as possible, I started to wash my hair. I had just taken a shower yesterday evening so I could probably due without washing off. Shaving my armpits quickly, I kept my eyes locked on Hiei. I could see him shift his weight. Turning off the water, I went to grab a towel. A small croak escaped my lips when I found that there was no towel there. "What is it?" Hiei growled. I saw his eyes twitch with the urge to open.

"Don't look!" I said.

"Well, what's wrong?" he growled.

"I don't have a towel," I mumbled. I heard him groan. "Well, it's not my fault that you made me forget! When a guy is in the bathroom with you it can get a little awkward," I retorted.

"Well, you don't seem to mind when you are with those guys on that track team of yours," he bit out. "What's the difference between me and them?" he asked. I froze where I was. Oh gods, this was bad. This was really bad. I could only stand there with my mouth opening and closing like a fish. What was I supposed to say? That it was different when you had a crush on that person. With the guys they were like brothers; annoying brothers, but brothers nothing the less. For some reason, my head felt weird at that point. A weird tingle was coming over my brain.

"I—I don't know," I retorted. "Just get me a towel," I said. When Hiei didn't move, I asked again. "Can you please just get me a towel?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said. "I will if you tell me why it's different with me," he said with his arms crossed. I groaned. Well, I could tell him or just get out. I chose the latter. Stepping out of the shower quickly, I ran over to the towel rack. Grabbing one, I dried myself off where I was standing. When I was done, I wrapped it around me quickly before going over to where my clothes were. Dropping my towel, I dressed quickly.

"I'm done," I said. Walking back over to the shower, I slung my towel over the bar. "You know, you didn't have to be so stupid about that," I said. Turning back to Hiei, I saw him looking at me funny. "What?" I asked. He just kept looking at me. "Hiei," I whined. "Tell me why you're staring at me," I said.

"Why should I? You never answered my question," he pointed out. I groaned at his words. When a pain hit me in the stomach again, I started to cough. Gagging I went back over to the toilet. This time, I coughed up blood. Hiei was quick enough to grab my hair. Wiping the back of my hand against my mouth, it came away with bright red blood on the back of it. "Okay, time to see Mom," I said. Flushing the toilet again, I went to stand up. I felt Hiei's hand wrap around my arms. When he pulled me up, I patted his shoulder. "Thanks," I said.

Making my way into my room, I pulled a hand through my hair. When I opened my door and went to exit, I stopped. Turning around, I saw Hiei still following me. "You know you can't go out there with me. It would be kind of odd for my parents to see a guy walking out of their teenage daughter's room after they were out last night. I don't think they would appreciate that very much," I said. Hiei just snorted at that. "If you don't understand what I'm saying, it means STAY HERE!" I said.

Without seeing if he noticed or not, I went out to the kitchen. Walking down the hallway, I heard my feet making a smack noise against the wood floor. Getting closer to the kitchen I heard my parents talking quietly. When I walked in, they both looked at me.

"Morning, honey. Did you sleep good?" my mom asked me with a smile.

"No. That's actually why I came in here," I said.

"Well go on. Spit it out," my dad laughed. I looked at my parents for a moment. My mother had a piece of toast on a plate and a cup of orange juice while my father had a cup of coffee. They were probably waiting for me to wake up before they cooked. That was how it usually worked.

"Can you bring me to the doctor, Mom?" I asked.

"Why? You look fine to me," she said sitting her orange juice down.

"Yeah well, last night after the race I couldn't breathe very well and I had bad pains in my sides. I just pushed it to the side not worrying about it. But this morning I got up. The first thing I done was throwing up and there was blood. About ten minutes later, I started to cough up blood. I still can't breathe well. Last night I took a Pamprin because I thought it might be my period but I guess it wasn't," I said. My mom just looked at me for a moment before jumping out of her chair.

"I'll go get dressed," she said. Quickly, I saw my mother disappear down the hallway to her and Dad's room. Turning back to Dad, I saw that he had a look of shock on his face.

"So," I said calmly. "How was the date?" I asked. Reaching over, I grabbed his cup of coffee and took a drink. The caffeine that hit my stomach made me gag. Pushing the coffee away, I coughed. Gasping for breath, I tried to get a good grip on my lungs. It was like they wouldn't move.

"Akako?" my dad said. I heard him push out of his chair to come over to me. When he smacked me on the back, it was like last night. The sharp movement made my lungs jump into movement.

"Thanks," I said as I looked up at the face of my worried father. When I tried to straighten myself in my chair, it felt like something just burst in my body. A pain worse than any I had felt my entire life blossomed in the lower right half of my body. Falling out of my chair onto the floor, I held back a scream. Something inside me had popped. I had felt it.

"Akako?" my father asked. Grabbing me by the shoulders, he shook me. Then I couldn't hold it in any longer. I let out a wail. When he had touched me it had felt like someone ripping my stomach out. I faintly heard him yell my mother's name over my cries. When my father's arm wrapped around me, I cried out in pain once again. Whenever I moved it was like someone was stabbing me in the side. Tears slid down my face and onto my father's shirt. "It's okay," I heard him say. "We're gonna get you help," he said. I could hear my father whispering to me but I couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Ready?" I heard my father say. I could only assume he was talking to my mother.

"Yeah. Let's get her to the hospital," my mother responded. Then my father was running to the door. With every step he took, a shot of pain was sent to my side. Right as the door was shut; I saw the small figure of Hiei staring at me. I wanted to reach out to him and tell him it would be okay, but I didn't think it would.

**Another chapter has come to a close. I'm just going to say this so no one is assuming anything. NO, she is NOT pregnant. Gods, don't even start me on that. I sat hours on the computer researching something to be wrong with her and I finally found it. HAHA! My mother kept on telling me to get off but I told her I was doing research; which I was so she was okay with it. I'm hoping to put the next chapter up soon but it won't be like one right after another. School starts back for me on Monday. YUCK! Anyways, this chapter was pretty cool I thought. Hope you guys continue to read!**

**3 Akara S.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again my dear readers. Like the six of you. XD Oh gods, I have no confidence in myself or my writing. Why, I have no clue. Yayy; cluelessness. Anyways, I would like to thank the people who do take the time out of their day to read my story. It means a lot. With every new read, I feel my tiny bit of confidence grow larger. Maybe I'm like the Grinch. **

**DemonMiko Jenna: I'm happy that you like this one so much. Yes, it is pretty much all the things that you like. I guess I'm kind of writing this story for you. It seems like something you would really like and be interested in. I LOVE YOU, JENNA!**

**middlekirtz: HAHAHA! I know the feeling. Well, you can now find out. I'm sad to say that this will affect how EVERYTHING in her life is going at the moment. Well, I just kind of lied to you. I'm ecstatic yet sad. It's a mix of feeling. As an author I'm waiting for her fall but as a reader I'm mentally telling her to get back up and keep going. I swear I think I'm crazy sometimes…**

**Clarisse Eilen Black: I would like to thank you for her name. I agree I need a middle name… Wow, that sounded odd. But thanks for taking your time to read and review A Running Leap. It means a lot. LOVE YOU, CLAIRE! DON'T KILL ME! ;-;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the YYH stuff. GODS, I HATE THESE THINGS! Anyways, after my explosion right there I shall continue. I do however own Akako, the track team, Arata, and the other characters that were not in the series. *tear***

Akako's P.O.V.

I could hear people yelling my name. Were they trying to get my attention? If they were I wasn't going to answer. The pain was all I could feel right now. I could hear people yelling at each other to do things and to get this or get that. Where was I? The last thing I remember was that feeling in my stomach like something was bursting. But there was something else that I remember. The memory was floating away like a leaf carried by the breeze. I just wanted to reach out and grab it but I couldn't. Something was holding me back.

But I wanted to know. I needed to know. Reaching forward in the haze of gray that I was floating, I tried to grab it. It was like a little light. Every time my hand would reach out to touch it, it would move further and further away. Standing up, I went toward it. It was like it was calling out to me. As I got closer, it was like that little light kept getting brighter. Right as I was about to touch it, I heard a familiar voice say my name in warning.

"Akako, don't touch it," he warned. Turning around with my hand still stretched out to the light, I saw Hiei standing there in my little gray world. Only the air around him was swirling black. It was not just black; it was a black that I had never seen before. It moved with life and energy that I had never seen a color move with before. Looking around me, I saw the swirling of orange. It was a deep orange that was attention catching and complicated. It was dark yet light. It was a color that held the stubbornness and possible maliciousness of blood red yet it held that little piece of yellow that kept it sensible and a bit of brightness. Not completely outgoing yet enough to keep it from being too dark. It was a balance that could be found nowhere else. When I looked at the color, I felt comfort. This was my color. I was this color.

The color swirled around me in a wave like pattern. It was like it started at my chest and flooded out from there to fill the air around me. It held me in and warm. The way it swirled and dipped showed that it held life; a spunk that I knew very well. That spunk was what kept me going all this time. It was nice to see it.

So, if this was my color that meant Hiei's was black. That would be such a sad color. It was depthless and dark. It held fright and pain. My orangey color had hard natured to it yet it had enough of caring to make the room warmer while Hiei's color made the room chill. It wasn't necessarily a bad chill, it wasn't even uncomfortable, and it was just cold. Like a heart that had no emotion. Was that what his heart was like; black and cold? It must be sad to have a heart like that.

Turning back around, I looked at that light again. It was so… pretty. My hand was drawn towards it. When my fingers were mingled with the light, it sent a weird tingle through my arm. It felt odd, but good. I just wanted to take that light and keep it close. Slowly, I let my other hand join the first.

"I said don't touch it," I heard Hiei growl from behind me. I didn't care. The light was all I cared about. I needed to remember what it was trying to tell me. As I continued to look at the light, I saw it start to take up that orange color that had swirled around me. When I looked at the orb, I smiled. It was like me. It was my color. When I felt my knees start to shake, I fell to my knees but I still held to my orb. No one would take it from me.

The orb got brighter. With it, my vision blurred a bit. But I wanted to see its pretty color not make it less visible. "Akako," someone said. Did I know that voice? I think I did. But who cared? I had my orb and it was all I needed. With a sound that was much like a mother cat to her kittens, I pulled the orb closer to me. I felt it grow warm but I was growing colder. I couldn't feel my feet anymore. That was kind of weird. Maybe it was just the way I was sitting.

When I felt someone's hands on my shoulders, I turned slightly. A dark black was swirling around me. It was mixing with my orange. My orange that looked faded for some reason. Looking back at my orb, my eyes grew wide. As it drew in the black air, it started to get smaller. When it took in black, it let out orange. It was like the orb was bleeding out. I had to stop it. Putting my hands over the holes, I tried to keep the orange in and the black out. It wasn't helping. The orange was just making its way through my fingers. The black was like oil passing over water. A small cry escaped my throat. No, my orb was getting smaller. The warmth from it was fading. It was turning a deep sludgy black.

Trying to pull out of the grip that was on my arms, I tried to grip my orb tighter. I had to get it to be bright again. To give me that warmth it had. When I was pulled back away from the orb, I clawed at the air for it. "NO!" I shrieked. "Give it back!" I continued to claw at it. As it got smaller and smaller, I felt tears sliding down my face; for some reason that orb had made me feel complete. When I saw the orb finally burn out, I stopped trying to get back to it. It wasn't there anymore. What was the point of going after something that wasn't there?

Falling back into the grasp of the person pulling me back, I saw my orange air start to get brighter again. Yet, it was still mixed with that black. For some reason instead of the black making me feel that cold like it had before now it made me feel warm. No not warm, hot. It was a burning heat that lit my veins and sent something new through them. That burning feeling made complete like the orb had yet it had more of a solid feel than the orb had. It was more like it was a presence instead of an orb of light.

I watched the two colors dance and swirl together. It was almost like a flame. The black would lick at the orange but the orange would not be settled. It would not push back the black. It would go into the black and break it from the inside out. When I felt the person shaking me, I saw the blurry face of… Hiei? What was he doing here? Oh yeah, he had been the black air. Each time he shook me it was like the colors came a little more untied. It was like they were uncurling; being pulled apart from each other more likely. I could feel the pain of them being yanked away from one another.

I didn't want them to be taken apart. They looked prettier together. The orange made the black be not so flat like. It gave it body and a flow while the black made the orange more dark. It gave it a deeper power; one that could be used better together than alone. They completed each other. Did we really have to pull them apart? That was awfully cruel if you asked me. Looking up again from the colors to Hiei's face, I couldn't define the shapes anymore. It was just a blob of skin color and black. I was being pulled away from my world of gray. Maybe I should just let go…

Blinking my eyes, I saw bright lights over me. They were like the lights of a store. No homeliness at all in them; too business like for me. My eyes traveled around the room. It was very bland. By bland I mean there was nothing in it at all. Well, that's what I thought till I saw a huge orange floating orb. Looking at it closely, I wondered if it was my orb. It did have a light… Doing exactly what I shouldn't have done, I reached up to touch it. Instead of touching the orb though, I only got air. I just had to reach it. Right as my fingers were about to touch it, the orb moved.

What?! It just moved out of my way. That wasn't very nice of it. Before it had moved towards me now it was moving away. Hiei probably done something to the orb; the little meanie needed to learn to not touch my things. I would have to teach him a lesson about it later. The little twerp would pay sooner or later.

"Hey look, she's up," someone said. The voice had come from my right. Looking over, I saw the face of Haku.

"Look," I said pointing up. Everyone's gazes in the room followed my finger. "It's the orb," I said. They all looked up at the orb expectantly then started to laugh. Crossing my arms over my chest, I pouted.

"And she's out of it," I heard Saburo laugh.

"NO," I retorted. "Look at it," I said. Trying to reach forward, I felt someone holding me back. "Why won't you let me get to my orb?" I asked. Everyone looked at me for a moment before they started to laugh hysterically. "What are you laughing for?" I asked. When I looked at Saburo, his face was all weird. It looked just odd. Looking around the room, I saw it was all odd. Like it was covered in a layer in silicone or something glittery for some reason. There was this tingly feeling at the back of my head like a sugar rush but much stronger.

For some reason, I started to laugh too. I just had the urge to laugh. Saburo walked over to my bed. Grabbing my orb, he handed it to me. "Here's your orb," he laughed. With a smile on my face, I grabbed the orb out of his hand. I frowned when I felt it. It wasn't warm at all. It was cold and rubbery not warm and like a liquid running through my hands. Before it had been like sticking my hand in a hot bath and letting it sit.

While I was frowning at the orb, I looked up when I heard a racket from the hallway. "Um, sir," a voice said. "You aren't allowed to go in there. She has guests. You can wait till tomorrow to see her," the voice of a distraught female flowed from the open door.

"I can go where I want. One ningen woman isn't going to hold me back," someone growled. If I had been a dog my ears would have perked up at the voice. It was Hiei! He had come to see me, how sweet of him. I let out a giggle. With my giggle, everyone looked at me.

"You have to have permission from her parents. They're doing paperwork right now so you mustn't enter," the voice sounded again.

"Why do I care?" I heard Hiei reply snidely. Their voices were getting very close to the door now. I felt Haku shift beside me. Gazing up at him, I saw him look at the other guys with worry on his face. What was he worried about? It was only Hiei. He wouldn't hurt a fly!

When I saw his black hair through the doorway, a smile came on my face. Still holding the orb, which still didn't feel right, I leaned closer to the door. "Hiei!" I exclaimed. When I called his name, he stopped dead in his tracks. An odd look over came his face that had that weird film over it too like the others.

"Boss, you know this twerp?" Saburo asked. Hiei glared at him.

"If you have a problem with me being here, you can leave," Hiei bit out.

"I think YOU should be the one to leave. Just barging in here with no respect for Akako or her parents' thoughts about you being here; you should be ashamed," Koichi glared. Beside me, Haku scooted in closer. Even though he was taller than me, he was like a child. I saw a look of worry on his face. Trying to comfort him, I wrapped my arms around him.

"Don't worry, they won't do anything to each other," I said. Turning to the three arguing, I laughed. "Look," I exclaimed. The three guys immediately looked at me expectantly. "I found the orb, Hiei," I said. His eyes got wide for a single second before they went back to their normal size.

"What's wrong with her?" Hiei said looking at Koichi.

"Why should I tell you?" he retorted. An air filled the room with Hiei's look at Koichi and Saburo. The shorter guy took a step towards the taller two. His look clearly said that it was in their best interests to tell him or something would happen.

"What did you do to her?" Hiei asked

"Hahaha, Hiei, you look funny when you're angry," I laughed. He did look funny. The way his hands clenched and the muscles in his arms bulged. "That's why I love you!" I laughed. Everyone in the room looked at me with surprise on their faces.

* * *

Hiei's P.O.V.

"Hahaha, Hiei you look funny when you're angry," she laughed. "That's why I love you!" she continued. I looked at her in surprise. Okay, they had obviously done something to her. She had never acted like this around me. That goofy smile that spread on her face only proved my point. "What?" she asked. "I do. You got a problem with it?" she asked with a pout on her face.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she frowned. I couldn't help but to look at her crossed arms. They made what small amount of breast she had stand out. Wow, that was surprising. Turning sharply to look at the tall blonde haired ningen boy, I glared. "Tell me what you done to her now," I bit out. I had no time to listen to the drivel of these ningens. He frowned at my question. He dared to not answer me? Hah, he should know better.

I could feel the Jagan trying to open with rage. The dragon within me burned to be let free on him and send him to the deepest depths of hell. Oh, how great it would feel to laugh on the singe marks. They would be all that was left of him anyways after the Dragon was done with him. I could tell he was about to reply when a beeping started to come from over at Akako's bed. Looking over quickly, I tried to figure out what was making the retched noise.

Akako was looking down at her arm. Coming from it was a tube with other smaller ones branching off from it; each one lead up to a different bag of liquid hanging over her head. There were four of the bag containers that I could see. One was clear, one was a yellowish color yet it was clear, and the other two were a murky white color. I could see each one of them dripping and dropping down into the tube. I didn't like the smell of them at all. Her fingers brushed it delicately. Her face had become a sickly shade of green.

When her fingers wrapped around it, I knew what she was going to do immediately. Right as I was about to stop her, I was beat by the kid who was sitting on the bed with her. "Hey, don't do that. It's your antibiotics," he said. Antibiotics. I had heard the fox use that word before. When had it been? Didn't it have to do with medicine or something? The thing that ningens used when they were sick I think.

"Antibiotics?" she asked. I was waiting for an answer just as much as she was.

"Yeah, they had to remove your appendix. It had burst already so you have to take antibiotics to counteract the bad chemicals that it let out when it did," the kid explained. Something in her had burst? I knew next to nothing about how the human body, much less the organs that it contained. Was that important? It sounded like it.

"My appendix?" she asked slowly. Reaching down quickly, she threw off the covers that were on her. She grabbed the bottom of her thin white gown and wrenched it up. A line of black stitched ran over her right side. I looked at her tanned stomach and noticed how toned it was. It wasn't straight out muscle yet you see a small hit of her muscles when she moved slightly or hardened her muscles. It was feminine enough to still look attractive and not over manly. With shaky hands, she touched the stitches lightly. "So that's what felt weird," she said as if to herself. "That's probably why I felt weird, Hiei," she said. Then a giggle escaped her lips. "Haha, I guess a Pamprin wouldn't have helped that!" she laughed. Putting her gown back down, she smoothed it as she continued to laugh.

After laughing for only a moment, she leaned over. "Owww," she groaned.

"Are you hurting really badly?" the kid asked. Akako just nodded her head at that. "I'll get the nurse then," he said. Reaching over her, the kid pressed a button on the side of the bed. Leaning back to where he was, he ran a hand through his light brown hair. When his hair moved away from his ears, I saw a flash of metal. Focusing on it more, I saw that it was an earring; more specifically two. One was in his earlobe and one was wrapped around the cartilage around it. Didn't most ningen women have earrings and not men? "He'll be here in a minute," the kid said laying a hand on Akako's shoulder.

It still upset me that he was sitting so close to her. When I breathed through my nose, I smelt something familiar. No, it couldn't be. Being around these ningens probably just threw off my sense of smell. After a couple seconds, I smelt it again. Turning towards the door, I smelt the air. It couldn't be. He wouldn't be here. Would he?

My question was answered when someone clad in a pink walked in the room. He continued to work forward while looking down at the clipboard in his hand.

"So, I see it is time for some more pain medication or can I help you with something else?" he asked. I could only stare at him. Why was the fox wearing a pink outfit? Sure he wore one at school but he was at the retched place. My eyes caught a small amount of ningen lettering on the front of his shirt. 'From: Shiori To: Shuichi with Love' So, he was wearing that thing because the woman made it for him. Hn that seemed like a stupid reason.

Stopping his movement forward, I saw Kurama's nose twitch slightly. Looking up at me, he nodded and went back to his work. Then it hit him. Quickly he looked back at with a look of awestruck horror on his face. What was up with him? "Fox?" I asked.

At the same time, he spoke. "Hiei?" he asked looking at me.

"Twin!" Akako yelled out. "Hiei, look it's my twin!" she laughed.

"You two know each other?" Kurama asked me.

"Of course we know each other!" Akako laughed. "He's my bestest friend in the whole wide world!" she continued. I couldn't help but to stare at her.

"Well, I can see she still has some pain medication in her system," Kurama said. Writing something down on his paper, he took a step towards her. Looking up at the kid, he raised an eyebrow. "I would appreciate it if you got off of the bed," he said in that forceful tone of his that could still be considered polite. I smirked when the kid crawled off of the bed with a frown on his face.

"If I may?" Kurama asked gently touching the bottom of her gown. I had to hold in a growl when I saw his hands graze her skin. The fox better not be getting any ideas or he would be without a hand. Akako looked at him for a moment before nodding. With her permission, Kurama pulled up her gown to look at her stomach. Looking at the stitches, he would occasionally jot something down in his notes. What was taking him so long? I could feel the anger boiling off of me as the fox continued to look at her body. He had no right to be looking at her. Neither did the ningens in the room.

When he was done, he gently pulled the rob back down. "Okay, you're looking like you are healing well. Um, you will probably be in here for a week or two depending on how you react to the antibiotics," he smiled. To my surprise, Akako threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug.

"Yayy! A week or more with my twin!" she laughed. When I saw her hand stroking Kurama's fire red hair, I almost lost it. I couldn't hold in the growl that rumbled in my chest. The fox must have heard it because he grabbed her arms and pried them off of from his body; backing away. Taking a glance at me, I could see confusion in his eyes.

_"Hiei, do you mind to tell me HOW you know this girl?" _he sent me the thought.

_"Why should I tell you, fox?"_ I bit out right back to him.

_"Well, maybe because you smell like you are going to kill all of us right about now. I would just like to know if you have any _special_ interest in her," _he shot back with a smirk. At his words, another growl escaped me. _"So I was right. I'm surprised you haven't done anything about it. Or have you?"_ he said his smirk growing even bigger.

"I haven't done anything," I growled loudly at him. Everyone in the room looked at me because of my outburst. Not caring, I started to walk towards the door. I needed to calm down and control myself. If I got my hands bloody here, Koenma would probably put me back on that damn watch again. Well, he would probably just make me finish the sentence I was supposed to finish a long time ago.

When I walked out of the door, I heard Akako talk. "What's wrong with Hiei? It usually takes more to get him to leave," she said. It almost sounded like she didn't want me to go; even if she didn't I wasn't going to stay here. This place made me feel trapped like an animal; which I wasn't. All I wanted to do was get out of this frigging place. But of course, I never got my wishes. I could smell the fox getting closer to me. So, now he wanted to talk about what he said.

"Hiei, can I talk to you for a moment?" I heard him ask from behind me. "Come on, do you seriously have to be so stuck up?" he asked. That was weird. Kurama never acted like this before.

"What do you want, fox?" I asked turning on him. I could practically taste the venom that I had added to my words on my tongue. Letting my emotions snap like this felt good.

"Follow me," Kurama said. Walking down the hallway rather quickly, he entered what looked like to be an unused room. As soon as I entered, he shut the door behind us. I watched him hold his hands against the door. He was clearly thinking about something very intently. Crossing my arms over my chest, I waited for the fox to speak. When Kurama finally turned around, his face looked old and raged.

"Do you even know what you are getting yourself into?" he asked. Running a hand through his hair rather angrily, he looked at me.

"What do you mean by that?" I growled at him. He should really stop being so vague. It got on my nerves.

"I mean, do you know what you are getting yourself into by lusting over that girl in there? Apparently you don't," he said. Now he was looking at me with anger in his looks. I just looked at him with no emotions on my face. "Well, I really need to expand more it seems. Did you ever take into consideration that she is a human and has a life other than being involved with a demon. Also, did you ever think of Mukuro in any of this? Aren't you supposed to be at that watch of hers? You truly haven't thought any of this through. I thought you were more intelligent than that," he said raising an eyebrow. With every word he spoke, I could feel myself getting angrier.

"Fox," I warned.

"You know, usually you think things through more. You must really want this girl. And by really want, I mean being around her even makes you uncomfortable. I wonder what it was like for you to see me running my hands over her skin?" he said looking up at the ceiling. Taking two steps forward, I grabbed the front of Kurama's shirt.

"Shut up you damn fox. You don't know what you are talking about," I growled. Pulling him down closer to my eye range, I glared. I felt my headband fall away as the Jagan burnt through it. "Don't you drag Mukuro into this," I said quietly with as much venom in it that I had ever dared to put into my words before.

"So," Kurama said looking at me with no fear in his eyes. "You still have feelings for Mukuro, yet you still lust after Akako. Wow Hiei, you really are screwed," he laughed. It was almost like I could see yellow flash in his green eyes. A smirk crossed his face. Letting go of his shirt, I just continued to glare at Kurama. Stumbling backwards, he continued to smirk. "You don't know what to say. That must be a first," he said.

I could only think of his words. He was right even though I hated to say it. Thoughts of both Mukuro and Akako flashed through my head. Akako laying there in her bed, the moonlight shining on her skin making her look pale. Then there was Mukuro standing in front of me while I was in that damn tank. Images of each of them kept flashing through my mind. One moment I would want Mukuro then the next moment I wanted Akako. Kami, this was worse than I thought.

"So now you see what I'm talking about," he said.

"Damn you, fox. Just damn you," I growled at him. "I hate it when you are right," I mumbled.

"Ah, so what are going to do my friend? Stay here in the human world for a girl who may fall for someone else and you don't even know her feelings, or are you going to go back to the Demon Realm where you are supposed to be and go to a woman who you know her feelings? Ah, and the plot thickens," he smiled at me.

I wanted to glare at the fox but I knew he was right. "You see that I am right," he said. Well, now I could glare. Kurama was just being prideful about it. The damn fox was getting ready to get himself into a shit load of pain.

"Get over yourself, Kurama," I said. Walking over to the door, I yanked it open. I heard the door protest against its hinges at the way I threw it open.

"Hiei," Kurama said stopping me. Continuing to stand at the door, I waited to hear what he wanted to say. He was probably just going to try to make me feel worse. "Just tell me you will think about what I said. You may not know this but the girl also has feelings. I assume Mukuro does too," he said. I could hear the honesty in his voice. Standing in the doorway for a moment, I pondered on his words. I probably would think about what he said; even though I wouldn't admit to it. With no words of goodbye, I left.

* * *

AKAKO'S P.O.V.

After a while, the haze over my eyes started to fade. My brain was more affective now. The pain medication was wearing g off now because I could feel the pain in my abdomen from being sliced open on the table. Thinking back to the things that I had said during my little doped up moments, I groaned.

"What, you feeling bad again?" Haku asked looking over at me from his spot at my right. He was sitting there playing with a piece of my hair while I had just laid there in a sleeping like state.

"No," I groaned. "I just remembered what I said to that nurse," I said with my face in my hands. "Oh gods," I groaned again.

"Ah, when you fell asleep he came back in to check on you we just laughed about it. He said he's heard worse. But that short dude left and never came back though. Just thought you would want to know that," he said. His hands raking through my hair gently almost lulled me to sleep. It surprised me how much Haku knew about hair. He would sometimes braid my hair before races. Maybe it was because he had two younger sisters. With his parents at work so early in the mornings he probably had to get them ready at times.

"Thanks," I said. "Did he seem upset when he left?" I asked looking at Haku out of the corner of my eye.

"Kinda. He and that nurse guy seemed like they knew each other. The nurse left as soon as the short guy did," Haku said.

"Hiei," I said.

"Huh?" he asked looking at me.

"His name is Hiei," I said again. Leaning back on the pillows, I raked my brain for more of what I had said. I sat up with a gasp when I remembered what I had admitted. I felt my face go completely red. "Why did I say that?!" I had to hold back a scream of anger.

"Say what?" Saburo asked from his place in a chair. Looking over at him, I noticed only him and Haku were in the room. "Before you ask, the others went on home. They are going to go to school tomorrow and we'll switch out later," he said. I could see that he had bags around his eyes. So, it was Sunday. I'd probably woken up some yesterday. Well, maybe I did; I didn't know that was for sure. "Anyways, back to the matter at hand," he said looking at me.

"Why did I say that to him?!" I groaned again. I had probably told Hiei the most embarrassing thing ever in my whole life. It wouldn't surprise me if he used it against me in some way. If he even tried he would pay. Throwing myself against the pillows rather roughly, I glared at the ceiling. "I'll kill him," I said to myself.

I saw a smile creep onto Saburo's face. "Hiei, you look funny when you're angry," he impersonated in what he tried to make sound like my voice. "That's why I luuvvvv you!" he finished. "Ah, that was priceless. What I would have paid to have that on camera," he said looking into the distance dreamily.

"Oh shut it," I glanced at him.

"Hey, it could be worse. Like when you drink. Miss Kissaholic," Haku laughed while he continued to play with my hair.

"Hey," I retorted, "at least I don't run around like a girl. Well, I am a girl but you get the point," I said. Looking at the youngest member of our team, I smirked. There had been the one time when we had all got together and had drinks when we had won a huge race. That was the first and the last time I had ever taken a drink of one of those foul things in my life.

Saburo laughed at my words. "You can't be laughing Mister "King of the Walk," I said leaving out the word that the guys but in between King and of. In my experience with them, guys had serious issues with outdoing each other in physical activities; and not to mention shows of "masculinity". After being on the track team for a while it didn't affect me. It was probably a good thing I was immune to their stupid ways of showing off. If not I would probably be blind; if not blind at least scarred severely for life.

As soon as the words escaped my mouth, a crooked grin came up on his face. "It's good to be king," he said. I could only groan at that.

"Well, if you keep gloating the family jewels may one day find themselves missing from the royal treasury," I said. Saburo's face got pale at my cruel words. Ah, he deserved to be intimidated a little bit. Looking at his hands, I saw them twitch down from their place behind his head with the urge to protect himself. Now it was time for me to grin evilly. "You reap what you sow," I said.

"Haha funny, Midori," he laughed sarcastically. With a happy laugh of my win, I jumped a little in my bed. That was when I felt the steady pain in my abdomen again. Haku must have seen my face twist up because he reached beside of me and pulled up a button like thing.

"Here," he said handing it to me. Taking the thing from his hand, I examined it. It was a handle like thing with a red button on the top. "Just click it when you are in pain. It will give you a shot of morphine. Just try not to click it too much," he smiled.

"I'll make sure not to get loopy again if that's what you mean. I don't think I ever want to be like that again. It is the same category as getting drunk in my eyes," I said still looking down at the little button in my hands. Yet, what would it feel like to get all loopy again? I really didn't feel drunk and there wasn't a hangover—I had one to many of those—it was more like floating.

"Don't get any stupid ideas," I heard someone say from the door. Looking up, I saw the familiar red hair of the nurse. He had a small smile on his face that showed he didn't want to get caught up in anything that would waste his time. Well, I could see why.

"I was just thinking about what it was like to be all doped up," I said glancing down at the button again. "Sorry about what I said earlier. I was just kind of… out of it I guess you could say," I smiled at him.

As he made his way over to my bed, he frowned at Haku. "Have I met you before? Not here in the hospital but in a city or something?" he asked looking at Haku who was still at my side with his fingers intertwined in my hair.

"I don't think so," Haku said looking up at the nurse. "I used to live in Mushiori City. I just moved here like a year ago if that helps any," he said looking at the nurse skeptically. At the name Mushiori City, the nurse kind of coughed a bit.

After clearing his throat he just looked at Haku for a minute. "Um, so you were there about three and a half years ago?" he asked. The nurse's face looked almost like he wasn't telling us something.

"Yeah… What about it?" Haku asked. Now he just seemed uninterested in the nurse's questions. Pulling his fingers the rest of the way through my hair, I felt him start a complicated fish tail braid or something like that. The only thing I knew for sure was that it was over to the side and that it would leave my usually wavy hair even wavier.

"Just wondering. I thought I may have known you from some time ago," he said quietly. Something in his tone of voice made me look up at the nurse quickly. His face had an almost sick look on his face. Was something wrong with Haku being from Mushiori City?

"Hey," I said catching the nurse's attention. "You never told me your name. You may have said it earlier but I don't quite remember much about that," I said. I could feel the blush from the memories of what had happened flaring onto my face. Quickly looking to the right like I was watching Haku finish up the braid on the tail of my hair, I tried to hide my blush from the nurse.

"Shuichi," he said. "It is a pleasure to meet you Midori," he said with a polite smile. "I don't want to intrude but you said you knew Hiei," he said. "You would mind if I asked where and when you meet my dear friend," he said looking at me right in the eyes.

"Um, I meet him about five years ago during my last year of junior high. I was trying to get on the track team for the following year. We meet when I ran into him—literally—and made him spill his ice cream all over himself," I said. Thinking for a moment, I pulled some more information out of my only slightly foggy mind. "Um, I knew him for almost a year then one day he just disappeared," I admitted. It was the truth. After knowing Hiei for almost a year, one day he just stopped showing up in the park when I ran. He would usually stand at the same tree almost every day for me to run past. One day, he just stopped coming.

For about three years maybe a little more, it was like he had never even been there. Every day I would run past that all too familiar tree and look for him to return. When he didn't for a year, many people told me that he probably moved or something but I just wouldn't take it. He would at least have told me if he was moving. That was how the next three years of my life went; me waiting for someone who had probably just pushed me to the edge of their minds and had never thought of again. Even if he didn't remember me I would always remember the days I had laughed in the sun as I watched him flinch away from a baby crying or something odd like that.

Once I had finally started to lose just a tiny ounce of hope, it was like a dream had come true. Well, a very bloody dream, but a dream nothing the less. One night when my parents had been out on a date, a knock had sounded on the door. Kin and I had been eating dinner when we heard it. Going to get it myself, I was surprised at what I had seen at the door. Standing there in the doorway, well more like slouching was Hiei. There was nothing different about him. As soon as the smell of him had hit me, I gagged. When I had looked closer, I saw that he had blood all over him. When he had fallen into my arms passed out, I just dragged him in.

Kin had cleaned him up since I wasn't about to do that. He may have been my friend but I wasn't going to do that. That was the first time I had saw him in three years. Even though he was asleep on my bed and had got blood all over my favorite shirt, I hadn't cared. I finally had him back. Since that night, I had been a little more than protective of him. If a girl dared to look his way, I would glare at her like she had kicked a puppy. I didn't want any slut trying to take him from me. Even if there wasn't anything between us, it still bothered me.

"He came back about three years later looking like he had been attacked in a street fight. He still won't tell me what happened but I don't care. Whenever I do ask he just grunts and leaves. I assume it is just something he doesn't like to talk about so I don't push it," I said with a shrug.

Shuichi just nodded as I told him my words. There was something more calculating in his eyes than he was letting on though. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Something about him just reminded me of Hiei. It was like the vibe that came off of him was almost the same. It was probably just me being weird and stereotypical about something.

"Well, let's stop wasting time and let me look at you again. We just need to keep monitoring you to make sure that there are no traces of any fluids that the antibiotics aren't helping," he said with his nurse voice.

"Sure," I said. Pulling up my gown, I gazed down at my stomach. I was surprised to see what looked like bruising spread over my abdomen. Well, that wasn't there earlier.

"That is what I was worried about," Shuichi sighed.

"What's wrong with her?" Haku asked leaning over to look at me closer.

"The toxin that the appendix let out when it burst has started to affect the skin inside of her. She either needs stronger antibiotics or she will have to go back to surgery," he said writing stuff down on his clipboard.

"I would prefer stronger antibiotics," I said looking at him. Going into surgery again just didn't seem like fun. I already felt like crap so why multiply the feeling.

"Right away," Shuichi said. Walking out the door with his face stuck in his clipboard, he turned for a moment. "I just want to tell you one thing," he said. Something was slightly dark in his voice.

"What is it?" I asked. For some reason I felt like a deer in the headlights. Maybe like I was going to get my soul sucked out of my body if I messed up was more like it. The whole aura in the room had changed with his words. It was like he was a completely different person.

"I wouldn't get myself too mixed in with Hiei if I were you. He isn't all he seems to be. He's how you could say a little unpredictable in his actions," he said with that same dark voice. Something about his eyes caught me. A quick switch to gold made me flinch. With a quick smile, he turned to go. I just stared at his back as he walked out of the room.

"You okay?" Haku asked looking at me. I just continued to look at where Shuichi had left from. Slowly, a glare formed on my face. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like him as much as I first thought I would.

"Neither am I," I said quietly to Shuichi. Ever since that night some of the things Hiei had said in his dreams, I knew he wasn't all he had let on to be. When I felt something warm and sticky slip through my fingers, I looked down at my hands. Little half-moons were on my palms where my fingernails had cut through the skin staining the white sheets that they had rested on. Closing my fingers back over my palms, I thought about what Hiei had said that night.

**Trololololololololololol! I have a horrible habit of leaving people on bad cliff hangers apparently. I guess it is just a bad habit of mine. It gives me so much joy yet it makes Jenna want to kill me.**

**Okay, now to the actual things. Did anyone recognize the city that Haku used to live in? If you don't look back at the Sensui arc; if you do, you can probably guess what might be up with the kid. For some reason I really adore him as a character for some reason. I don't think there were any more puns in this chapter but there probably were. It would make sense for me not to remember when they are the most fun I get out of these things.**

**I would also like to point out one thing. If any of you have noticed in other Hiei fanfiction the author makes him seem all none talkative. Well, if you go back and actually watch the series you see that he actually talks more than people put up to be; just wanted to point that out. I hope you guys continue to read!**

**Next Chapter: Hiei reflects on Kurama's words and Akako sees some people that we all know very well; the thing is she doesn't know they know each other.**


	4. Chapter 4

**In Which Hiei is faced with the truth and Akako sees some old friends.**

**I'm happy that more people have started to read my story. It makes me feel so happy that my little story that started with me lying in bed pondering the meaning of life has even gotten one view. For the people who actually read it and look forward to the next chapter, you really make me feel so happy. Every day I look forward to trying to write more so you can all have a good time reading it. **

**Okay, in the end of the manga Hiei is announced to be 5'3. So for the purpose of this story, that is how tall he is. When they meet at first he was the 4'10 that Koto stated at the Dark Tournament. He was gone a while so he grew, just like Akako. If you don't like this then just disregard it. Thank you.**

**Guest: Whoever you were, I adored your comment. It was so true about her I wondered if you were the little wood sprite that placed the idea in my mind. Anyways, I agree with you. People really need to get their minds out of the gutter. Yes, Akako's love is so unrequited I'm surprised it is even there. She loves him and she just sits there and watches him walk away. She really has a problem with watching him leave and just accepting it. Anyways, I hope you continue to read my dear unknown friend! ^-^**

**Guest 2: You were the one who said thank you for making it long. You are very welcome. This is the first fanfiction I have written with chapters that are this long. I hope you read more of my story!**

**Gaarasgirl123: Thank you so much. I think I have really warmed up to the more talkative Hiei and darker Kurama. They make me happy. I mean, Kurama is really Yoko Kurama so I think that he would be somewhat cruel. I mean, at one point in time he thought Shiori was inferior to him. There is no further explanation needed to that fact.**

**buzzk97: Yes, I am told to be evil by many. ^-^ I guess I like giving cliff hangers. They are probably the one thing that gives me joy in life. *sigh* That shows how active my social life is… thanks for being a reader!**

**DemonMiko Jenna: Seriously Jenna, you and I both know that you won't do such a thing. Well, I hope you like how I planned this out. Now I'll have a couple more days before you start to hound me again…**

**SuiLon434: Thank you for thinking my writing is good. Even simple reviews like this make me so happy. Please continue to read! **

**Disclaimer: I (insert name here) do not own anything related to YYH. Inserted name… Akara Kaiyo Suzuki.**

**Good luck trying to make sense of my mind that produces stories like these!**

Hiei's P.O.V.

"_Do you even know what you are getting yourself into?" he asked. Running a hand through his hair rather angrily, he looked at me. _

"_What do you mean by that?" I growled at him. He should really stop being so vague. It got on my nerves._

"_I mean, do you know what you are getting yourself into by lusting over that girl in there? Apparently you don't," he said. Now he was looking at me with anger in his looks. I just looked at him with no emotions on my face. "Well, I really need to expand more it seems. Did you ever take into consideration that she is a human and has a life other than being involved with a demon. Also, did you ever think of Mukuro in any of this? Aren't you supposed to be at that watch of hers? You truly haven't thought any of this through. I thought you were more intelligent than that," he said raising an eyebrow. With every word he spoke, I could feel myself getting angrier. _

"_Fox," I warned._

"_You know, usually you think things through more. You must really want this girl. And by really want, I mean being around her even makes you uncomfortable. I wonder what it was like for you to see me running my hands over her skin?" he said looking up at the ceiling. Taking two steps forward, I grabbed the front of Kurama's shirt._

"_Shut up you damn fox. You don't know what you are talking about," I growled. Pulling him down closer to my eye range, I glared. I felt my headband fall away as the Jagan burnt through it. "Don't you drag Mukuro into this," I said quietly with as much venom in it that I had ever dared to put into my words before._

"_So," Kurama said looking at me with no fear in his eyes. "You still have feelings for Mukuro, yet you still lust after Akako. Wow Hiei, you really are screwed," he laughed. It was almost like I could see yellow flash in his green eyes. A smirk crossed his face. Letting go of his shirt, I just continued to glare at Kurama. Stumbling backwards, he continued to smirk. "You don't know what to say. That must be a first," he said._

_I could only think of his words. He was right even though I hated to say it. Thoughts of both Mukuro and Akako flashed through my head. Akako laying there in her bed, the moonlight shining on her skin making her look pale. Then there was Mukuro standing in front of me while I was in that damn tank. Images of each of them kept flashing through my mind. One moment I would want Mukuro then the next moment I wanted Akako. Kami, this was worse than I thought._

"_So now you see what I'm talking about," he said._

"_Damn you, fox. Just damn you," I growled at him. "I hate it when you are right," I mumbled._

"_Ah, so what are going to do my friend? Stay here in the human world for a girl who may fall for someone else and you don't even know her feelings, or are you going to go back to the Demon Realm where you are supposed to be and go to a woman who you know her feelings? Ah, and the plot thickens," he smiled at me._

_I wanted to glare at the fox but I knew he was right. "You see that I am right," he said. Well, now I could glare. Kurama was just being prideful about it. The damn fox was getting ready to get himself into a shit load of pain._

The scene kept running through my head. Putting my hands on my head, I growled as I gripped my skull in hopes that the pain would make me forget for even a moment. For the past two hours his words had been coming to the top of my head right in the middle of my usually blood filled thoughts. The thing that made it bad was he was right. It surprised me that the fox had done it on such a high degree. Nothing except my problem with Yukina had bothered me so much.

The thoughts that came to my mind of Akako just made me lust for her. Maybe if I were to fix that I could just move on. Yet something wouldn't let me do that. At the same time, I wasn't going to let anyone else do that to her either. Mukuro on the other hand made something different rise in me. She was one of the few people who I could actually stand. When I was around her I felt like I was accepted for my past and she could relate to me on some level due to her childhood. Her father doing all of those cruel things to her made me think of the kōrime. When Mukuro had told me of her past, I had felt the need to kill the bastard that had done that to her.

Yet when I was around Akako I felt like she didn't worry about my past because she didn't know it. She had no reason to run away because I was an Imiko. With no knowledge of the curse that had been laid upon me she just thought of me as a ningen. Even though it was a vile thing to be thought of I didn't dare tell her what I really was. The thought of her being scared of me made me feel like I was falling to my death.

"Mister Hiei," Yukina said from below the tree I was sitting in. Her voice broke me out of my struggle of my thoughts. "Are you okay? You don't look very good," she said looking up at me kindly. At her looks, I felt that familiar sense of kinship wash over me. Even though I had told Shigure I never intended to tell her I think she caught on when I did go back to the Demon Realm. She must have realized that I couldn't or didn't want to tell her for some reason. She was smart enough to.

"I'm fine," I said. Like most of the times that I talked to Yukina I hardly ever let my voice rise. "Just… leave," I said trying to stay calm. I knew if I was to yell at her I would never be able to forgive myself. That and that oaf wouldn't stop telling me to be kinder to girls and that I should have an honor code. At times I just wanted to rip his throat out with my teeth if I had to. Though the thought of any of his body entering mine made me feel sick.

"Come down here. You look pale," she said. I could hear the worry in her voice. It felt good that someone cared for me; yet, I didn't want it right now. At the moment I just wanted to be alone. With an inward groan, I jumped down from the tree. Landing lightly on my feet, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at Yukina waited to be lectured about my health.

"Hiei, please come inside and rest. It's so hot out here. You don't want to get overheated," Yukina said. At her words, I couldn't help but to scoff. When she blushed and looked embarrassed I regretted it. "Sorry, I guess it doesn't bother you…" she said her voice sad. When she looked up at me cheerfully, I was taken aback by her ability to get over her embarrassment so quickly. "But you'll still come inside to sit with me, right? Master Genkai isn't in the temple right now so it's kinda lonely around here," she said looking at me expectantly. "Kazuma is at work so he isn't up here like he usually is. He usually keeps me company and keeps telling me about his dreams about having kids and that he can't wait for us to 'get together'," she smiled.

At her words, I growled. "I really don't know what it means," she continued. "Maybe he is just being a nice friend," she said with a shrug. That made me feel a little better. Still, that baboon was still near Yukina and I didn't appreciate it. Yukina turned around to go into the temple. Looking over her shoulder at me, she called for me to follow. Deciding that it was probably in my best interest to follow, I quietly followed behind her.

As we entered the temple that the old hag occupied, I had to admit to myself that I felt a little better. At least up here there was no stench of humans and the filth that they made. Did they even know how badly they were treating their world? Maybe it wouldn't be such a good thing to rule over after all.

"I can make you some tea if you would like," Yukina said without looking back at me. "Or we could have some small snack. I am a little bit hungry," she said with a small laugh. When I heard her laugh, it almost made the cold heart of mine unthaw a little. I had always wondered what it would be like to have Yukina know that I was her brother. Even if she did know she had either caught onto the façade or asked the fox or Genkai about it. Knowing them they could have listened to her talk about what she thought and nodded and mumbled agreements trying to be polite.

Even if she did know, I wasn't going to tell her that I knew she knew. That was just going against what I said to Shigure. She would have to tell me that she knew and knowing her she would probably just smile and watch from the sidelines. Well, that was better than being a lying, cheating, thieving, cold-blooded killer. I knew more than one of those.

"Did you hear me, Mister Hiei?" Yukina asked pulling me away from my thoughts. The way she tilted her head to the side indicated that she was waiting for my answer to a question patiently.

"No," I replied.

"Well," she said with that genuine smile of hers. "I was wondering where you were today. Usually you come over some days," she asked.

"Nowhere important," I deadpanned. I continued to walk towards our destination. From behind me, I could practically feel Yukina sadden. Well, I wasn't going to tell anyone that I was going to see the ningen girl. The only one who knew was the fox and I was sure he wasn't going to tell anyone. If he did I would most likely make my revenge very painful and he knew that.

"I see," she said. "So, do you want anything specific?" she asked as she looked at me from me behind. I could feel her eyes on my back.

"No," I replied again. Kami, I really needed to figure out my mind. That was when the Jagan found it fun to toy with my brain. Opening up my memory, it showed me the scene of Akako the other day. Unbeknownst to her the Jagan had recorded her while she had bathed. The way the water had ran down her body made me want her so bad. I had to hold myself back from going over and just not letting her get away from me. She had looked so attractive even though she hadn't meant to. The way she stretched her arms up over her head to wash out the soap.

"Hiei, wow you really haven't heard any of what I said," I heard Yukina say almost amused. Once again her words pulled me out of my thoughts. The only thing was this time I could have lived without her interrupting my train of thought. I was having a rather good time reminiscing on the things the Jagan had stored in my brain.

"Not really," I said looking at her. I was surprised by the smile that came across her face.

"I know that smile," she said almost laughed. My head snapped over to look at her. What the hell was she talking about? "You were thinking about someone," she said; after waiting a moment she continued," Someone special." When she wiggled her eyebrow at me I almost fell flat on my face.

With a laugh, she continued to walk onto the kitchen. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she said. As I followed behind her, I wondered how she had picked up on my thoughts so quickly. She had been around the morons too long for my enjoyment.

Leaning against the counter, I watched as Yukina quickly started to make some type of food. "So who is she?" she asked as she chopped up some type of vegetable. "You seem to like her quite a bit," she said looking over at me with a smile.

"Hn," I replied without answering her. I had no plans to talk to Akako about anyone. The thought of the doofus knowing about her made me cringe. They would hold it over my head for the rest of my life—my long, long life.

"Oh come on," Yukina said laying her knife down and looking at me. With her hands on her hips, she confronted me. "You know, I would think you would at least want to talk to someone about it. You looked really confused up there in that damn tree," she said.

When the vulgar words came out of her mouth I was surprised. I had never heard such a word come out of her mouth before. "Oh don't look at me like that. I'm a grown woman and I can talk how I please," she said. "Now, are you gonna talk or be stuck up. Your choice," she said going back to her chopping. This time she was rather aggressive with the vegetables. It was like she was trying to turn them into a puree. Anger was deep in her eyes. Clearly she wasn't just angry at me for not telling her about Akako.

"You know, just—just ugh!" she groaned. Throwing the knife down rather angrily, she glared at me. "I would love for you to explain what I heard Kurama and Genkai talking about yesterday," she said crossing her arms over her chest.

"What are you talking about?" I growled right back at her.

"Oh uh, for your information the conversation yet something like 'So, Hiei is still not telling her,' 'Yeah, he is still not telling Yukina that he is her brother.' 'Well, I wonder when the dimwit is going to finally do it.'" she said doing interpretations of either Genkai or Kurama. "You can tell me what they meant by that," she spat at me. Poking me in the chest, she made me stumble from surprise. "So, what is it 'brother,'?"

I couldn't help but to stare at her. So she had finally figured out. "I—I," I stumbled over my words for the first time in my life. The anger that her eyes held was unknown by me. I had never seen her so angry before. It was almost like having my own anger reflected back to me in her eyes.

"Just forget it," she said. Walking to the door, she turned back to me. "I would have loved it for you to not hide this from me. I assumed that you were my brother but when I realized that everyone else around knew but didn't tell me made my heart ache. You took me for a fool. A stupid woman that wouldn't figure something out even though the obvious was right in front of her face," she said. When a tear fell and crystalized, it was like being stabbed in the chest. "Just leave," she said throwing my words back at me in almost the same monotone voice I had used earlier. Walking out of the kitchen, she left me alone with my thoughts.

* * *

Akako's P.O.V.

"Can I PLEASE get up," I whined. After sitting in the bed for over four hours I had started to get absolutely bored. At first I had been able to stand it but now it was just driving me mad. Haku was still sitting on the bed with me but he was out for the count. He had been asleep for at least the last hour.

"No, you're not supposed to get up for a day," Koichi said from the rollie chair that the doctor was supposed to sit in when he was in the room. Saburo was just sitting there in his chair clicking away on his laptop. Whatever he was doing, it had been entertaining him for over an hour; just about as long as Haku had been managing to drool on my shoulder.

"Gods, I can't even get up to take a shower. I stink," I groaned looking up at the ceiling. I had already counted the tiles on the ceiling four times. There were 221 exactly. If boredom wasn't present in my mind I didn't know what was.

"Well, you aren't allowed to take a shower for a few days anyways. The stitches can't get wet," Koichi said looking at me from over the top of his manga. It had surprised me that he read more Shojo rather than Shonen. Once he had explained that he read it so he try to understand the ways of the woman mind it made sense. It must work because he was the only one of us that had a successful relationship that had lasted. Well, you could count Roy but I tended not to think about that.

"Can't I at least wipe off some with a wash rag?" I asked. "I won't take long," I said looking at him pleadingly.

"No," a familiar voice said from the door. Looking up, I saw Shuichi once again. The red-headed nurse had his long hair tied back now so it wouldn't fall in his face.

"Why not?" I asked back.

"Because you can't get up. Anyways, I came here to see what you wanted for dinner or if you needed anything specific," he said looking down at his clipboard pen in hand.

"Uh, some apple cider vinegar, honey, and warm water," I said looking up at the ceiling to concentrate. "Ah, and maybe an apple if you wouldn't mind. Golden delicious," I specified. With a smile, I looked back up at him.

"Um, may I ask why you want the first three things?" the nurse asked looking at me funny.

"Well, apple cider vinegar is good for a whole lot of things—metabolism, flexibility, bone strength, and other things. I use the hot water and honey to make it taste a little better," I said looking at him with a smile. "I'm surprised that you didn't know that," I said.

"No, I was just surprised that someone your age knew that. Many would shy away from drinking vinegar purposefully," he said with a smile.

"I hate it personally but I do it anyways," I shrugged.

"Well, what would you like for dinner?" he asked.

"Surprise me, just not something with pomegranates or pineapples. They make my tongue swell," I informed so he wouldn't feed me anything practically poisonous without knowing it. It would be a shame if I died on his watch.

"You got it," he smiled. With that, he left the room with a smile.

"Um, it will be good to have some food," I said to myself since no one was listening to me. As if right on time my stomach growled loudly. "Ah, hush up," I said looking down at it.

With a mumble in his sleep, Haku rolled over to where his head was resting on my chest. Sighing, I grabbed him and moved him to where his spine wouldn't be in such a horrendous position. It looked as if it was going to give him permanent spine damage. Well, I couldn't say much since I popped my neck in such unnatural ways. But hey, it was how I rolled.

For a while I just patted his head. All the while I was thinking of Hiei. Since he left it was pretty much all I had been thinking about. The words that he had said that night he had come back kept on running through my mind. Every time I thought of the way he had said them and the way his face had twisted up made my heart tear. The way he had said her name made me want to cry. A deep pain twisted in my heart as I had continued to sit there with him to only hear him talk about her more. Saying her name and asking where she was. I had cried myself out that night. But for some crazy reason I still wished that it had been my name that he had said in his sleep.

_~*~Flashback~*~_

_As I sat there and looked at Hiei lying on my bed, I wondered what had happened to him. He had come in so bruised and broken it almost made me cry at his appearance. Kin had taken him in the bathroom and cleaned him up some. Now he was lying on the bed in a pair of my sweats because Kin's were too big and an oversized t-shirt. He looked hilarious in my green track shirt. The way it was cut to fit a girl only made his small frame look funnier._

_Absent mindedly, my hand traveled to his hair. As I pulled my hands through his surprisingly soft black hair, I realized that he had grown. Just as I had, he had grown at least 5 inches. Well, it had been almost three years so it made since. Now I stood at 5'5 and he was about 5'3. I could only imagine what Arata would say now. He would probably make more comments about how we would be adorable together and anything else the old man could think of._

_A sad laugh escaped my mouth as I thought of what he would say. I knew I would yell at him and tell him to stop but really it was so fun when he would poke fun at us. Maybe once Hiei felt better we could go get some ice cream. It would be fun to see the look on the old man's face much less Hiei's._

_"That's it. We'll go get some ice cream," I said as if he could hear me. Looking down at his face, I had to smile. He looked so peaceful when he slept. All the stress that he usually held evaporated with his conciseness. It made me want to hug him so bad or maybe even more than that. I blushed at my thoughts. Well, those weren't the thoughts I had held when we had seen each other last. I wonder what Hiei thought of me now._

_As if on cue Hiei started to talk. At first I thought he had woken up but when I saw he was still asleep, I stopped being so tense. "Mukuro…" he groaned. At the name, I felt my heart clench. "Where are you?" he asked. His face twisted in pain. Pulling away, Hiei turned over to where his back was to me. "Why can't I find you?" he asked._

_With each time he said her name I felt a little bit of my soul get ripped out. "Yukina," he said. His voice was almost angry. That was when the tears started to run down my face. I wanted him to say my name so bad. Just call out to me once. That was all I needed—yet it wasn't going to happen. As he continued to talk in his dream-filled sleep, I wondered exactly who this Mukuro girl was. Hiei had been away for a long time so he had probably found someone else. It wouldn't surprise me if girls had flocked him like seagulls to a sandwich._

_Well, my chances just dropped even more than they started. I was short, really thin, smaller legs, some boobs—not enough to flaunt—but boobs, and deep red hair. Personally I loved my hair; the thing was most people didn't like it. In a sea of black and brown, I stood out. I was different. Many girls would criticize me; telling me I needed to have a more 'normal' hair color. Once I had actually been held down by a group while the tried to dye it in the sink at school. They had succeeded in getting the top a nasty, black, streaked color that looked like a three year old tried to do it. Well, a group of them pretty much had. For about a week I had wore a hat every day to hide it. Then I finally realized that I was just going to show the world that I liked my hair. Since I had decided to show that I loved my hair, I had gone without a hat. After many stares and snickers, one guy finally said that it was cool that I loved my hair color and that everyone else should like how they were born. If you couldn't guess, his name was Hitoshi. After that, everyone had just ignored it._

_Now I was sitting here crying because a guy had pretty much denied me in his sleep. Wow, I was a failure. He didn't even have to be conscious to crush my hopes and dreams. Must be a good thing to add to his list of goals… I, on the other hand, had only kissed one guy in my life. At the moment it felt like a huge accomplishment for some reason yet at the same time I didn't want to think about it. The guy I had shared it with a complete and utter jerk who I realized what he really was almost too late._

_With a huge sigh, I pulled myself onto my bed next to Hiei. He didn't take up much room so there was space. Leaning against the wall instead of laying down and curling my knees up to my chin, I sat there. I could slowly feel my eyes starting to drift shut, all the while tears were still leaking from my eyes._

_Unable to keep my eyes open any longer, I felt myself drift off into a restless sleep. I knew I had school the next work tomorrow since it was Sunday. For a while I had been using my free time to work there for a little extra money. I didn't have a car to ride but it was always good to have money on hand. Taking one last glance at Hiei, I felt my chin hit my chest as I fell asleep._

_~*~ End Flashback ~*~_

"Akako," Saburo said.

"Huh?" I asked turning to him wandering how long he had been trying to get my attention.

"I said that they said that you had a visitor," he said.

"Do you know who it is?" I asked. The thought of Hiei coming back quickly came to mind. Easily as not to wake up Haku who was still asleep on my lap, I pulled my hands out of his hair. Looking down at my palms, I could still see the little crescents my nails had left in my skin. Closing my hands, I could feel the sting of my nails touching the raw skin even though I was not putting pressure on them.

"Uh, they said he was an older guy. Around twenty or something was what the nurse said. A different one by the way," Koichi said looking up from his book.

"Sure, let him in," I said wondering who it was. I knew a couple people who were about that age but I wondered who it was specifically. My mind kept running through the possibilities. It probably wasn't one of the teachers. The principal was too old and so was Arata for that age group. Dad was at work but he didn't fit that age group either.

"Akako!" I heard a familiar voice call at the top of his lungs. Of course, how could I forget him? When the orange hair of the man I knew so well came into view, I could feel myself getting happier. It was impossible to not be happy around him.

"Kazuma!" I replied. Straightening myself in my bed while making sure not to disturb Haku, I smiled. I had known Kazuma for a while now. Well for a while I meant about five or six years. It was before I knew Hiei that was for sure. "How is Eikichi?" I asked looking at him.

"Ah, she's fine. You should come over to see her sometime. You haven't seen her in a while," he said with that goofy smile of his. Some girl was going to be very happy to have him one of these days. He might not be the best looking but he had a heart of pure gold.

"I probably will once I get out of this bed. I swear, they'll have to strap me to the dang thing before I get up and start running around the hospital," I laughed out. The image of me running through the hospital in my gown made me want to die laughing, I would probably do something like that. "Oh, guys, this is Kuwabara Kazuma," I said gesturing to my friend. "He is the guy I gave the cat to years ago," I said.

"Just call me Kuwabara," he said with a bow. All the track team politely introduced themselves, except Haku who was still asleep on my lap. How he had slept through Kazuma's entrance was past me. The poor kid had to be tired if he was sleeping this much. "It's nice to meet you guys. I've heard Akako talk about you some. You seem like a nice enough group for her to be hanging around," he said clearly joking.

"Haha, Kazuma," I said. "So, how did you figure out about me busting things inside of my body?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest with mock anger and looking at him in a weak glare.

"Well, an old man that runs an ice cream shop just happened to tell me that the girl who usually gives me my cone of strawberry ice cream was in the hospital. I was so upset," he said. Putting a hand over his heart, he continued. "Who was going to serve my ice cream for me?" he asked to the ceiling. After a moment, we both burst out laughing. The ability for him to make me laugh was unlike any other. At times he did have his moments when I just wanted to slap some sense into him, but he was very smart actually. He was one of those people who had book smarts but not common sense.

"Good one. And oh, what a pity it is that I won't be able to get you your double scoop of strawberry with chocolate drizzle on top. You're gonna starve aren't ya?" I asked sarcastically.

"Actually, the last part may be true. Sis hasn't been cooking or anything and left me to fend for myself," he said with a frown.

"Well, you are a grown man. Can't you feed yourself?" I asked. Right before Kazuma could reply, the nurse walked back in.

"I have yo—" he stopped mid-sentence and stared at Kazuma. Kazuma, to my surprise, stared right back. "Kuwabara?" the nurse asked.

At exactly the same time, Kazuma said. "Kurama, what are you doing here?" After looking the nurse up and down, he said, "And dressed like that?" Gesturing to the pink outfit, Kazuma raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that just got awkward," Koichi said from his chair. I noticed now he had a different manga. It was titled 'Black Bird'. Looking down at the bottom corner, I saw that he was on Volume 8. Hadn't be been on 5 when I saw him with that manga last? I remembered seeing the blond girl and the black haired guy on the front before. From his place with his laptop, I heard Saburo snicker.

"I'm here to see my friend Akako," Kazuma said. I couldn't help but to stare at the nurse. Was it just me, or did he know too many of my friends for comfort? Even though it was just Hiei and Kazuma, I didn't like it. He was probably gonna be telling me that Kazuma was a demon hunter or something and to not get near him. Like that fluffy goofball could ever try to kill anything.

"Well, if you really want to know Kuwabara, I am here volunteering as a nurse. It just so happens that your friend is one of my patients," Shuichi said while looking at Kazuma almost bored. In his hands, I say a tray that held all the things I had asked for; even my big, juicy golden delicious apple. Just looking at it made my mouth water from the desire to bite into its crunchy peel and taste that sweet juice. 'Oh my gods, I'm lusting over an apple… I've really lost it,' I thought to myself as I realized what I had been doing.

"Oh, well, I guess it's nice to see ya, Kurama," Kazuma said while scratching his head. I couldn't help but to wonder why he kept calling him Kurama. I thought his name was Shuichi. "I haven't seen you since that one time up at Genkai's temple when Urameshi got back," he said. When Kazuma said the name Urameshi, one person immediately came to mind.

"Hey, Kazuma, you aren't talking about Urameshi Yusuke are you?" I asked thinking about the guy.

"Yeah, what about him?" Kazuma asked looking at me funny.

"Well, I didn't know you knew the guy," I said simply. The thought of Kazuma knowing a jerk like Yusuke almost made me want to laugh.

"Ah, we went to school together," he shrugged. "I guess you could say we are still pretty good friends," he said but a sour look came on his face. What was that all about? "He just decides to run off and not tell anyone then come back and say he's sorry then leave again. You would think he would learn," Kazuma grumbled. Well, who else did that remind me of? Oh yeah, it reminded me of the little twerp that left earlier.

"Sounds like someone else I know," I grumbled partly to myself. "Hey, nurse boy, can I have my vinegar? I want to get it over with. It tastes disgusting," I said pulling his attention away from Kazuma.

"Sure," he said with a strained smile. After walking past Kazuma, he sat the tray on a table that could be maneuvered over my bed. Rolling it over to where it was above me, I looked down at the tray that had been sat in front of me. Taking a deep breath, I poured some of the vinegar in the water. Adding some honey, I stirred it to make sure that I could at least get some of the sweet taste instead of the sour, acid like burn of the vinegar.

"Well, here it goes," I said. Holding my nose with one hand, I put the glass of the mixture up to my lips. Closing my eyes tightly, I started to chug it. Warm liquid slowly crept its way down my throat leaving a trail that I could feel. As soon as it hit my stomach, I knew. It didn't taste bad, well, until I took a deep breath. Then I could easily tell the vinegar from the honey. It made my eyes water and gave me the urge to cough. Holding it in, I finished off the retched thing. With a huge slam that resembled that of an alcoholic finishing his fourth glass, I put the glass back down on the tray.

"Good job, Boss," Saburo said. "You didn't throw up this time," he said with a devious smile.

"Haha, funny. At least I wasn't the one who vomited my guts out when we had to run all that time last summer," I pointed out. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. The only time I had thrown up that summer I had been back in the locker room safe in the protection of the stall. All the guys probably remembered. The noise was horrible. If I remembered correctly, we all had thrown up at least once that go around. Coach had been in a bad mood for who knows whatever reason so he had decided it would be a great idea for us to run like crazy with the heat at 96 degrees that day.

"Ah, shut up. We were all in bad shape," he retorted. I had to laugh at the look on his face. He looked like a disgruntled four-year-old. With a smile, I grabbed the apple off of my tray. Looking at it longingly, I wondered if I should eat it. One thing I did not want was for the taste of vinegar to ruin the delicious thing.

"Ah, weren't you supposed to get me some type of food?" I asked looking up at the nurse. Yeah, now that I thought about it, he said he would bring me some food. Right about now would be a good time to have it. As if on cue, my stomach rumbled again for the second time today. This time, it managed to wake Haku up. Rising up quickly, he bumped his head on the table.

"Owwwww…" he groaned as he pushed it out of the way.

"Ah, I'm sorry," I said looking down at his sad face. The kid was adorable even when he was in pain. "Kid, you really got to watch out where you go to sleep," I laughed. His almost pouty face made me want to laugh even more.

"Shut up, Akako," he said while rubbing his head. "That really hurt," he said while still rubbing his head. With a smile, I felt my heart swell for the kid. He really was fun to have around.

"Here," I said. "I'll fix it." Leaning down, I gently left a kiss on his forehead. "Is it better now?" I asked. Haku turned his face away from me quickly, but not quick enough for me to not see the red blush rising on his cheeks. It was rising quickly to cover his ears as well. With a huge gulp, I felt a slight blush rise on my cheeks as well. Maybe I shouldn't have done that after all. 'Dang it, Akako,' I thought to myself. 'There goes the casual friendly relationship you had—right down the toilet and into the bloody friggin' sewers!' I thought getting angrier and angrier at myself. I really was a genius. Maybe getting shot in the face would fix the problem.

When I heard someone clear their throat, I looked up to see the nurse looking at me expectantly. "Do you still want something to eat?" he asked.

"Do I really have to ask you twice?!" I yelled. The look on his face surprised me. He looked really surprised that I had raised my voice at him. "Ah crap, I'm sorry about that…" I said looking at him pleadingly. I really didn't want spit in my food. Or poison. That would be worse. We were in a hospital so there are probably millions of things to poison me with; even if they didn't involve me ingesting them. He could probably just stick me with a needle and have me start convulsing. That look from earlier when he had told me that Hiei was not what I thought he was only proved that fact. He didn't like me. Something about me just happened to set him off. Which wasn't a particularly good thing due to the fact that his eyes looked like someone's who has been through a lot. Kind of like a war veteran who saw his friend die right in front of him—a gruesome one to exact.

"It's fine. There is a lot going on right now so you must be stressed. I'll get you some warm tea or something to calm your nerves," he said. The thing that was off about it was his smile. It wasn't a smile at all. It was a scowl. Okay, this guy was an officially creeper in my book now. Like someone from a slasher film. With one last look of those piercing green eyes, he left. Even as he walked out of the room, it was like his presence was still there. It was like a cold lump twisting my gut and making me want to get sick. As his footsteps faded down the empty hallways of the hospital, I felt the color drain from my face. There was something wrong with that guy.

**Okay, was that okay? I really feel self-conscious about this chapter. I feel like it could have been a lot better. The length wasn't as good as it should have been. I was trying to get past 8,200 words but that didn't happen. I feel bad…The whole Yukina thing is played into more later on in the story. It explains why she is so mad and exactly when she had solid proof that Hiei was her brother. I hope how she acted didn't upset anyone. Akako kind of realizes that there is something different about Kurama. Well, if that fox were in a room with me, I think I would notice it too. I would probably feel like I was about to die. Ah, if you really want to know what Akako looks like, it is really simple. Imagine Kurama but shorter, with curves and a set of boobs. There is Akako for you. It will cause her a lot of trouble later on. A LOT. Well, please comment and tell me if this chapter was okay. I would even welcome new ideas! **

**3 Akara Kaiyo Suzuki**

**Next Chapter: Urameshi and Keiko decide to drop in on their dear friend who is in the hospital. With all the track team at school, Akako is left alone with only the weird nurse to look after her. Maybe she will find something out that she isn't suppose to…**


	5. In Which the Fox Almost Lets Out the Cat

**Hello my darlings! I am so happy to be writing on this chapter. I hope you guys like this story because I know I do… even if you don't like it particularly, thank you for reading it anyways. It brings joy to my frozen heart. I've kind of thought it would be cool if I started to name each of the chapters, so I'm gonna give it a shot. Hope they aren't too cheesy!**

**If any of you noticed, I changed the rating to M. I just want to be safe. I really don't think anything is going to happen but I would rather be safe than sorry. I wouldn't be able to write anything like that anyways. There are just some innuendoes in here that may be a little sexual… **

**The city where the three psychics are from, in season three I believe, is spelt Mushiori. If anyone knows if that is right or wrong, please tell me. I looked it up, but I couldn't find anything. There is bound to be something out there. I probably just didn't look hard enough.**

**DemonMiko Jenna: I tried to fix all that I could. I hope it fixed all the problems you saw. Thanks for telling me! The page breaks didn't transfer from Word. Why, I have no clue.**

**HiiChan711: Thanks for noticing all the detail I put into this. I try to put a lot so there is more for you to grasp onto. Thank you so much for taking your time to review!**

**guest: Haku is the youngest member on the track team. Don't worry, it wasn't a bother. ****Look at my cool smiles!**

**Guest: Yeah, I kind of get what you are saying. It was kind of weird even when I done it. I was like, whoa, Yukina is getting all mad up in here! I agree. I'm really trying to use the Jagan a lot in this story. I like the way it makes him feel the lust in his life. Gods, I'm horrible. The whole kiss thing plays in SO much later on in the story. I mean a lot. Haku's feelings for her really help and hurt during this story. I hope you continue to read!**

**Disclaimer: If I friggin' owned YYH, you would know. All I own are Akako, her parents, and all her lovely friends. (Lovely friends or not, I own them.)**

**In Which the Fox Almost Let's Out the Cat**

**Hiei's P.O.V.**

The aura in that hospital room had been wrong. Something about the way it flowed around everything suggested that someone had their territory up. Not just any territory, a strong one. This person had clearly known how to use their power and had mastered it. Looking down from the tree in which I sat, I wandered what was going on in there. Yesterday's fight with Yukina still burned in my brain. After she had left me alone in the kitchen, I had wandered outside without even knowing. My brain was fogged with the thoughts of her hating me. Before someone hating me was okay with me. I didn't give a rat's ass, but the thought of Yukina hating me hurt more than I thought it would. Not only that, I was still caught up in my thoughts about Akako. The image of her body was burnt into my brain like a hot steel rod prodding my thoughts. The thing was that it was a good burn. A burn that felt like it could fuel me.

Going off from my thoughts, I looked into the window of the room that Akako was in. All those members of that damn team of hers had left either this morning, or late last night. I had been sitting in this tree forever trying to decide what to do. I had an urge to go in while she was alone so it would just be the two of us. Anything could happen. The Jagan immediately came to life under my bandana with the thought. It didn't make this whole lust thing any better. The ways it attracted me to her were unlike anything else.

Even as I looked at her sleeping from the tree, I still wanted her. She was so vulnerable. Using my Jagan, I took a better look into her room. There was nothing special about it. White everywhere was about it. The cleanliness of the room surprised me due to the fact that it was a ningen hospital. The creatures were filthy things. The way she laid on her left side and curled up like a child was not unlike her. With her arms to her chest, she looked like she was trying to curl in on herself. Her chest rose and fell in time as she breathed calmly. Her hair was back in a messy braid thing that the kid who was almost attached to her constantly did. After her sleeping in it, lose hairs had started to poke out from the sides allowing them to frizz around her face.

The beeping of monitors and dripping of fluids filled my ears annoyingly. How could anyone be at peace in that room, let alone sleep? Right as the thought entered my brain, Akako jerked in her bed. Looking startled at waking up so quickly, she rubbed her eyes. "Uh, I finally got to sleep and I wake up from a bad dream…" she groaned. The thought almost made me smirk. A girl her age having bad dreams was almost laughable. If you were a person to laugh, that is.

Looking down, she started to play with the needle in her arm. She didn't look like she was about to rip it out like last time, she was just fiddling with it. "That is the most uncomfortable thing to sleep in," she mumbled to herself. "I shouldn't have curled my arms up," she groaned. Stopping her fiddling periodically, she pressed a button on the side of her bed.

Within moments, the fox popped into her room with a fake smile on his face. "What may I help you with?" he asked kindly, but strained. The way his face was working clearly showed that he really didn't want to be bothered with such ningen things. If he didn't like working there, why the hell did he do it then?

"Um, I accidently fell asleep and the I.V. freaked out," she said while still messing with it. With a sigh, Kurama took about four quick steps and ended up next to Akako's bed.

"Let me see," he said. Rather roughly, he grabbed her arm and turned it over. "Well, as you can see," he said pointing at it with his finger hovering above the needle, "when you went to sleep, the needle rammed through your skin. Now it is like a safety pin when you use it on a shirt. In other words, you really messed this up," he said with a groan.

"I'm sorry," Akako said gazing up at the fox. "I really didn't mean to. I just fell asleep. I'm really sorry," she said again. Why did she keep apologizing? Obviously the fox didn't give a rat's ass if she apologized or not.

"Hold still," he commanded. Taking hold of her arm even more firmly, he ripped the medical tape off that held the I.V. in place. Akako winced at the pain. Grabbing the bottom of the needle, he pulled it out quickly. Blood slowly started to drip down her arm. Still holding on to her, Kurama leaned over and pulled some gaze out of a jar. Holding it to the dripping wound, the look on his face clearly showed that he was upset about something; probably about the fact of having to deal with the human. Yet, he was the one who was all lovey-dovey with them. What crawled up his ass, took a shit, and then died? "I'm going to have to put another one in on your other arm," Kurama said.

Letting go of her arm, he opened some of the cabinets that were mounted on the walls. Mumbling as he grabbed this and that out of the cabinet, he placed things on the small roll table that Akako had eaten her food from. One sentence I heard very clearly.

"She's being such an idiot around demons, and there is that little twerp, psychic that is hanging off her like a puppy," he mumbled a little too loudly. Akako must have heard some of what he said because her eyes got wide at the word demon.

"Wh-what did you say about demon?" she swallowed. All the blood had drained from her face. Her green eyes looked like bright emeralds in her now face. Even her naturally pink lips stood out. I was surprised when I say her chest heaving up and down quickly. "Demons?" she asked. A weird laugh escaped her. "Hahaha that's funny, nursey. It's like you think demons are real!" she let out that weird laugh again. There was something about it that made it sound deranged. The way her eyes grew large, she looked like she HAD seen a demon. Well, technically she had. Actually she had seen more than one demon in her time.

The fox just stood there and stared at her. The needle, which he had taken from the cabinet, dangled limply in his hand. The weird look he was giving her was completely and utterly readable. He had seriously just said the very thing that he and I had warned the idiots to not say. How had the fox slipped up so carelessly? Oh yeah, he was being a stuck-up idiot for some reason that was unexplainable. Ever since he had met the girl, he had acted like he wanted nothing to do with her. If I hadn't had the half of my brain focusing on him, I would have missed him let out a puff of smoke from his sleeve that was directed at Akako's face. Gasping once was all it took for her to get enough of whatever Kurama had exploded in her face to make her eyes flutter shut quickly. As soon as they shut, a stream of curses came from the fox's mouth.

"How the hell did I just do that? Dammit, I just said that right in front of her!" he growled. The longer he talked, the more colorful his vocabulary became and the louder he started to talk. With the level of his voice, I was just waiting for someone to walk into the room to see what was wrong. Damn ningens and their personalities that tell them that they have to stick their nose into every damn thing. I was surprised to hear some of the words come out of the fox's mouth. Looking down at the sleeping body of Akako, I was almost surprised to her chest still hitching oddly. Looking at her face, I saw it was a deep shade of red. Going against better judgment, I jumped from my tree branch. Landing stealthily on the edge of the window sill, I beat on it furiously. Taking quick notice of my racket, the fox slid the window up. "Hiei, what are you doing here?" he asked looking at me strangely. Not caring about him, I pushed past him to get to Akako. Her face was an odd red color, and it looked like she was having trouble breathing. Breathing in the air quickly, I figured out why.

"You idiot!" I growled as I looked back at the fox. Turning back to the girl, I put my arms under her and pulled her to my chest. Not taking extra time to detach thing properly, I ripped the cords that were connected to her body off in a flash. "That plant is the Makai form of one of which she is allergic to," I said as I walked towards the door of the room. The faster I got her out, the better. When I looked down at her, I froze. Her face had calmed down some and she now just appeared to be sleeping. Glancing down further, I had to keep my hand on her leg from moving any further up. The thin hospital gown she was wearing had started to ride up when I had picked her up. All at once, many things in my body started to react. Grinding my teeth together, I tried to stop the thoughts in their paths. I had no time to deal with this. It would have to be dealt with later. Later as in once I got her out of this room, AND THEN proceeded to kill that fox for being a complete imbecile.

Kicking the door open, rather gently for some reason, I brought Akako out into the hallway. Ningen that were walking in the hall stared at me. Not caring, I carried her down the hall. Opening each room door on my way down the hall, I checked to see if one was completely empty. When one was filled, I was greeted with either the yell of a patient or visitor. At one particular room, I was not surprised to open it and find two ningens, what looked to be a doctor and a nurse, getting steamy. When I had opened the door, the nurse had gasped at me with messed up hair and swollen lips. Wow, if that didn't spell whore what did? Oh yeah, ningen women in general.

"Hiei!" I heard Kurama call from behind me. When I felt him latch onto my arm, I turned around to face him slowly. "What the hell are you doing?!" he growled quietly. I felt my blood boil in rage as I looked at the fox. He asked me what I was doing after he could have killed the ningen. Nothing was going to happen to her before I could get what I wanted. After that, I would probably forget about her and just run off to the Makai to kill some inane Class C demons. Even now they were becoming tedious. But for some reason, I couldn't wrap my head around doing that. Growling at myself, I was angry for getting like this. All she should be to me was another annoying creature that would be annihilated when I overthrew the powers of this world.

"Get your hands off of me fox," I growled. I wanted nothing to do with him. Continuing my way down the hall, I finally found a room that was completely unoccupied. Laying Akako down on the bed, I huffed as I looked down at her. A thin line of blood ran down her arm from where the needle had been stuck. Wiping my fingers through it quickly, I brought the red liquid up to my nose. The blood had a metallic kick to it, but like everything else with the girl, there was a slight sweet smell to it. Even her blood drove me wild. After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to do something that I would probably regret. Licking the blood off my fingers, I shuddered at the taste. It tasted good. The way it sent fire down my throat made me want more. The thought of killing the body that provided such a taste that set my own blood on fire was almost cruel. Not being able to taste or smell this seemed like it could make my head spin. Since I had met the girl, I had smelt her blood many times. Sometimes when she ran, she would end up getting tripped by someone who happened to get in her way.

Many of those times, I had ended up mumbling and being the one who had carried her to a bench to wipe the cuts and scrapes clean. Remembering all these times, I looked down at her legs. Surprisingly, there were almost no scares on them even though her constant scuffles with the ground. Her legs were still very clean. Her hospital gown still road up her legs showing me more of her legs than was usually visible even if her running shorts on. Her thighs and calves were very toned due to her constant running. If she didn't get back to it soon, she would lose those legs. Yet, this was the first time I had ever tasted it.

Looking back down at the girl again, I started to think about what had happened earlier. _'That little psychic,' _was what the fox had said earlier. Well, apparently I wasn't the only one who had felt something in that hospital room. The only thing was which one had it been. My thought was that it was the small kid that clung to Akako annoyingly. He had acted like a child clinging to his mother. The damn kid was taller than her! Well, she was taller than me, but thaw was a different story. The kid was from Mushiori city, which would explain him being a psychic. The problem was figuring out what the kid could do. From earlier, I could tell that he was a pretty powerful psychic. He had clearly known about his powers for some time now. He was most likely training himself to become stronger. Now that I thought about it, he had smirked at me right before snuggling closer to Akako. That rotten little ningen would pay for that little smirk.

"Hiei?" I heard the faint voice of Akako. Pulling out of my thoughts, I looked back at her face. It was slightly splotchy from inhaling the air which was poisonous to her body. How had the fox not remembered that she couldn't have that near here? Damn idiot. He was one of the few who I would assume to be that careless. "Why am I in here?" she asked. Glancing down at her arm, her eyebrows scrunched together as she realized there was no longer a needle there. A thin trail of blood still ran down her arm. At one point in the trail, there was a smudge of blood from when I had tasted it. Running one finger through it, she smeared it. Looking at her fingers for a moment, I wondered what she would do. A grimace came over her face as she looked at it. Quickly putting her fingers on her hospital gown, she wiped the blood off of them onto it. "That is so disgusting," she mumbled under her breath.

I felt a smirk come over my face at her words. "The nurse made an idiotic mistake. You had to be moved," I said bluntly. When Akako looked back down at her gown again, her cheeks darkened as she saw how far up it had ridden up her legs. Pulling it down quickly, she blushed even darker. Even from where I stood, I could smell her frustration. It was slightly mixed with anger. Was she angry at me? Even if she was, that wouldn't bother me. As long as somewhere in the future I got her as my own. The thought almost made me growl in pleasure.

"Hiei, you sounded like a friggin' cat," she said from the bed. She had a look on her face that I had seen many times before. It was the look she got when she really wanted to laugh, but she knew it was probably in her best interest not to. "That reminds me, Buzen is still at the vet. Maybe Mom or Dad picked him up. I need to call them about that later," she trailed off into her own thoughts. That damn cat of hers. She almost talked about it as much as the buffoon talked about his. Which, unsurprisingly, Akako had apparently given to him. Better one cat than two. Those damn things were annoying. "What's up with you today?" she asked. There was an obvious laugh hidden in her voice. Even though she was the one in the hospital bed, she still worried about me. This girl really needed to learn to worry about herself more often.

"Hn," was my only reply.

"Well, come here, you idiot," she said patting the bed beside her. "It's cold in here. I need my space heater," she teased. A smile came over half of her lips. She didn't know how attractive she made herself look. That smile on her face almost looked seductive as she asked me to sit beside her. Grinding my teeth together, I slowly walked to the bed. More and more recently I had started to end up in situations like this with the girl. It wasn't like I didn't like sitting beside the girl. Her smell would surround me, making my head almost swimmy when her scent wafted over me. The smell of citrus and apple blossoms was getting more potent as I walked closer to Akako's bed. I almost groaned as she smiled again. It was like she was asking me to take her as mine. Her ability to make me just want to throw away my thoughts to not do anything to her was unlike anyone's I had ever encountered. Sure I had sex with women in the past for pleasure and to fulfill my wants, but this seemed like it would be different. For some reason, I didn't want to do anything to her against her will. Rape was a disgusting thing that ningens done to get what they wanted. At least I had the decency to know that the women wanted it.

In the case of Akako, it would be like doing something to a child. She was very inexperienced in the thoughts of sex. Sure she knew what it was, but I knew for a fact that she had never experienced it. I had heard her state it to someone once before. The knowledge of her still being chaste was actually good to know. If I was going to do anything to her, I wanted to be the first. "Come on," she urged waving her hand at me to hurry. "I ain't getting any warmer over here, space heater," she said smiling again.

"Hn, overbearing onna," I grumbled. Sliding my shoes off like I had done before, I climbed into bed with her. "Scoot your ass over if you want me to get in with you," I grumbled.

"Well, I'm sorry that this is a horrendously small bed," she mumbled right back. Getting back her usually smiley attitude, Akako looked over with me with a smile. Clearly she didn't care that she wasn't getting the medicine she was supposed to, or that she was sitting in a room with me all alone. She knew just as well as I did what I could do to her. The girl, which was probably a horrible mistake, just trusted me. The thought of being trusted felt slightly odd. No one had ever really trusted me completely. Even the fox, the detective, and the buffoon knew that I was unpredictable at times. Yet, this girl just smiled up at me like I wouldn't do anything to her. It may be due to her not knowing about demons, psychics, and all the other sadistic things of my world.

"You left in a tizzy yesterday," Akako said. "What happened?" she asked looking at me sincerely. "You can tell me if you want. Even if you don't want to, you don't have to," she said. Moving a little bit, she got more comfortable. I wondered if she could feel our thighs touching. Even though my body heat was higher than hers, I could feel her skin burning against mine. I would be able to smell her on my skin now. The night I had slept in her bed, I hadn't been able to get her scent off of me that day. It had stayed to haunt my thoughts. That sweet, fruity smell had followed me everywhere. It had invaded my thoughts and even my dreams which were usually filled with blood and violence were filled with thoughts of her—her and only her.

"Well," she said breaking my thought process. "Since you aren't going to talk, I will," she said with a smile. Sighing, she looked out the window. "I just wish I could go outside. It's too warm to be coped up in here. I can practically feel myself deteriorating," she said with a slightly whiny voice. "They won't even let me stretch some. My legs are going to be killing me when I have to start running again…" she trailed off once again into her own thoughts.

"They shouldn't let you out," I said looking at her. The girl really had no clue, did she? She was a weak ningen. If she went out now, after just having surgery, she would probably end up trying to run. When she did, I knew for a fact that she would, she would end up getting hurt again. She has no self-control over herself. The girl thinks that she has to prove herself to everyone to be accepted.

"I just want to smell the wind. I wanna feel my hair smacking my face when it pulls out of my ponytail. I want to hear the guys arguing over who really won the practice race, and who has to bring in the cooler today. I want to see the sun…" she trailed off as usual. "It smells too clean in here. It's inhuman. I don't like not being able to go outside," she said. I could smell salt again. It was the same smell from earlier. Looking over at her face, I saw that there were tears running down her face. "I don't like it!" Akako said.

I didn't know what to do. Sitting there dumbfounded, I continued to watch her cry. "I just wanna be able to run!" she sobbed. "T-they said that I wouldn't be allowed to for a while. When I asked how l-long a while was," she hiccupped, "they s-said it would be next y-year before I could d-do track." Holding her face in her hands, I could tell she was trying to stop crying. "Why the hell did this have to happen to me?!" she bawled. I was startled by the words that came out of her mouth. She really was upset if she was starting to curse. Slumping to her side, she landed with her head on my chest. "Why won't they let me?" she wailed into my shirt. I could feel her hands grasping at the cloth of my black shirt. Nails were slowly digging into my chest as she tightened her grip.

As she continued to cry, I just looked down at her. What else could I do? I had no clue how to work with women (well, not counting in bed of course, but you get the point), much less ningen women. After a moment or two, I realized that she was no longer crying. Looking down at her again, I saw that her chest was moving in regular, timed breathes. So, she had cried herself to sleep. The thought of her being asleep like this, using me as her pillow, made thoughts go wild in my head. The Jagan flared with the thoughts and possibilities… Shaking my head, I tried to chase away the thoughts. Grinding my teeth together, I realized that I really needed to get myself together. With a huff, I laid Akako down on the bed so that she was comfortable. She was mumbling in her sleep about some damn mountain. Had she said the candy mountain? Kami, she really was like a child in so many ways. A child who was trying to act grown up to fit in with the others or was maybe even expected to act older than they really were. Yanking the blanket up over her in one move, I frowned. She really left herself too open around so many men in her life. She wasn't an idiot, she was just too trusting. Walking over to the window, I jumped out. Instead of shutting it all the way, I left it open just a crack so she could smell the air. She might not be able to feel her hair smacking her face to leave those red marks that usually marred her face after she was done running, but she was still going to get some of the air…

* * *

Akako's P.O.V.

My dreams were filled with weird things. Colors were everywhere. Not just any colors, they were colors that blew my mind. I had never seen many of them before. They were so bright, yet so deep it made my eyes hurt to look at them. Taking a step forward in what I realized was a room covered in the crazy colors, I was surprised when my foot fell below me. You know that weird feeling you get when you expect there to be another step but there isn't or there is a smaller step than you thought, that was my feeling. The only difference was I didn't recover when my foot landed safely on the ground with a laugh. I kept falling down the tunnel that was also made of all those colors. It was almost sickening to see all of them at once.

I let out a shriek when I feel into what I assumed to be some type of liquid. Taking an intake of breath instinctively, I started to cough and gag when I felt it fill my lungs. My brain screamed at me to find a way to get oxygen. I could almost feel my blood thickening in my limbs as they went numb due to the lack of the precious resource. Thrashing my way to the top, I coughed and hacked to try to empty my lungs so they would be able to provide me with lifesaving breathes of oxygen. When I was finally able to breathe, I looked around at what I was in. To my surprise, I wasn't in water at all. It had the clear look of water, but the smell it gave off told me otherwise. I was in, I stopped to take a whiff of what I had been dunked into. I almost laughed when I realized what it was. I was in a lake of gin—a freaking lake of gin. What was this, the Big Rock Candy Mountain?

Looking at the shore, I saw, and was surprised by, the sight that awaited me. There were cigarette trees everywhere just as the song promised. I couldn't help but to laugh. Where were my hens that would lay me a soft-boiled egg? So did this mean I never had to change my socks? I couldn't help but to laugh at my internal thoughts. The American song ran through my head.

_One evening as the sun went down/And jungle fires were burning/ Down the track came a hobo hiking,/ And he said, "Boys, I'm not turning/ I'm heading for a land that's far away/Beside the crystal fountains/So come with me, we'll go and see/The Big Rock Candy Mountains_

_In the Big Rock Candy Mountains/There's a land that's fair and bright/ Where the handout grow on bushes/And you can sleep out every night/Where the boxcars all are empty/And the sun shines everyday/And the birds and the bees/And the cigarette trees/The lemonade springs/Where the bluebird sings/In the Big Rock Candy Mountains._

I couldn't help but remember when the guys had me listen to the song. That one line still hit me. _There's a lake of gin, and we can all jump in. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain. _I must have been thinking about them or something before I went to sleep. Taking a deep breath, I started to swim to shore. Finally making my way there, I laid down on the sand. It was perfectly white. Scooping a handful of it up, I let it run through my fingers. I froze at the way it clung to my hands. Bringing it to my mouth, I licked my fingers. Just as a predicted, it wasn't sand at all. It was sugar. Laughter bubbled out of my throat unexpectedly.

Rolling over so my stomach was on the sand, I laid my face down on the hot sugar. The warm sun made my legs burn. It didn't hurt, it was actually very comforting. It was warming me to the core. When I moved my face slightly, I felt the sand dig into my check. With a small grunt, I sat up so it wouldn't make my face raw later. When I finally stretched, I realized that I didn't have a sprig of clothes on. I felt my face burn in embarrassment. Gazing around quickly, I calmed down a bit when I realized no one was around. Seeing the opportunity, I stood. My hair flopped down in my face as I got my balance on the constantly weight shifting sugar.

Making my way down the shoreline, I let myself just drift with my thoughts. I couldn't help but notice it really wasn't a lake of gin; it was more like an ocean. It might have been a large lake; not being able to see the shore on the other side proved it was large whatever it was. It really wasn't a mountain at all. Well, behind me was a crap ton of mountains. At the moment, I was on what I assumed to be a beach of sorts. It was very relaxing to hear the gin lapping at the sugar sand. I vaguely wondered how the sugar didn't affect the taste of the gin. I could feel the sugar shift under my toes as I wiggled them into it. I wandered in the back of my head how I was going to wash the sugar and gin off. Not caring, I was content with having a little time to myself. The lucid dream was probably the best one I had ever had. It was almost calming even though I felt like I was crazy when I looked around at all the weird things around me. Who cared? It was my dream anyways.

With a sigh, I looked up at a cliff that hung slightly over the lake-ocean-thingy. I wasn't very far away. It was easy to make out many of the details of what was on top of it. There wasn't much. A few trees and shrubs and that was about it. Right as I was about to shrug the cliff off as being just another feature to my odd dream, something shiny caught my eye. Squinting to get a closer look, I wondered why it looked spherical. I jumped back when I realized what it was.

It was the orb. It was in this dream, too. Taking a few steps forwards, I felt the gin lap over my feet as I gawked at the orb. It was that swirly black and orange color that I had seen it take on earlier. They seemed content together. I smiled warmly. When the wind blew on my face, I took a deep breath. Yet, something about the breeze threw me off. I felt my dream fad as I was drug back into the reality of my hospital bed.

* * *

Feeling something blowing on my face annoyingly, I cracked open my eyes. They were sticky from crying earlier. I had the odd feeling that I had a dream. No matter how hard I tried to remember a single piece of it, it just wouldn't resurface. Maybe if I just didn't think about it for a while it would come back to me. That was when I remembered how much pain I was in.

Groaning, I realized I had been sleeping a lot lately. I hated it. It made me feel like a lazy slob. Blinking my eyes open again, I felt the crust over them that the tears had formed when I had fallen asleep. Sitting up, I wiped my hands disgustingly over my eyes to try to clean them off. I could feel the swollen skin around my eyes. Feeling the tug of the IV in my arm, I assumed that the nurse had came in and put in another one. Dang it, I hated the thing. All it managed to do was make my arm hurt. Looking at my arm that had previously been used as a pincushion, I noted that there was a small band-aid over the hole. The band-aid was actually pretty cute. It had Hello-Kitty printed on it with hearts. The child's band-aid reminded me of my childhood. I had fallen so many times that it was always necessary for my mother to carry around bandages. It was almost unreal how many I would go through in a month.

Sitting up straighter, I popped my bones as I stretched. I could hear them grind and crunch as I rotated my spine and neck in the motions that always made them pop the loudest. When I felt them all realign somewhat decently, I slouched back into the bed. Feeling my hair blowing, I looked over at my window. It was opened slightly to let in a breeze. A small smile found its way onto my face. So Hiei had decided to leave the window open for me. It felt nice to have the breeze bring in the smell of the outside world even if it was that of gas and the sounds of cars. Having the privilege to hear and smell all of it made me feel a little happier. At least now I could feel more normal.

"Hey," someone said from behind me. With a small squeak, I jumped. Turning around quickly, I held my hand over my heart. I had no clue that someone was in the room with me. Turning around, my worries subsided when I saw a familiar face.

"Oh, hey, Keiko," I said with a smile. Keiko and I had known each other for a while now. One day when I was running, I had suddenly got hungry. Knowing that Mom was gone, (If you are thinking "Dang, her parents are gone a lot," you are right. It is hard sometimes, but I get along! They are loving and trusting when they are home.) I started to look for a small store. I had made it a habit of carrying extra money with me if I needed anything—need it be bandages, food, or water—I was prepared. When I had noticed a cute restaurant on the side of the road, I swung in with me and all my sweatiness. That was the day I had met my dear friend Keiko. We had become good friends because my order had been wrong. When I had went up to the counter some idiot, also known as Yusuke Urameshi, had told me to go away because he was talking to Keiko. It had been pretty funny when she had smack him right across the face, and told him that the customers always came first. After that, we had got along peachy keen. (I think that is the right expression…)

"Did I scare you?" she asked with her kind voice. Her smile was very comforting to me. The calm girl always had that affect on me. Maybe it was just her attitude towards life that made her such a good person.

"A little," I replied. "I didn't know anyone was in here with me," I explained with a smile on my face. Feeling like an idiot for not noticing her, I just kind of ignored the smile on her face. This was clearly that of entertainment. "So, how is the idiot treating you?" I asked while readjusting my position on the bed. Being able to face her better made my back hurt less because I didn't have to strain my neck to look at her.

A chuckle came out of her mouth. "He's been good. I think he is slowly starting to learn how to act like a man," she said. "He may even be learning that I am the one in charge in this relationship," she smiled evilly. Oh how I loved Keiko for her authority in so many situations. And her slaps. Hot damn, she could kill someone with one of those things if she tries hard enough. It was hilarious when Yusuke was reprimanded with one of those prize winning slaps. Seeing that could make you happy no matter what mood you were in.

"He better be good to you," I said. "If you had said he wasn't, I would have got out of this bed and made him pay," I said glaring at the door. Sure Yusuke was a friend and all, but I was not going to let him bully Keiko around. She was an even closer friend to me. Some guy breaking her heart would only make me want to kill the guy. Being an angry woman, I most likely would.

"Oh, he knows to be good alright," Keiko laughed. Looking at each other, we both started to laugh loudly. It was fun to just be around her. She was always up in spirits, and she could always offer you good advice no matter the situation. Looking at the things in life was probably one of her best qualities. "So, how you been feeling? You look really good," she complimented.

"I've been good. Really sleepy lately, but I guess it is good to get some sleep every once in a while. I hardly ever sleep anyways," I smiled like a four year old who had gotten away with not brushing his teeth. "I just wish I could get out of this bed," I grumbled. Well, maybe the kid had been caught by his mother. Mother was smart enough to feel the bristles of the toothbrush, little boy. Snuggling back into my bed, I sighed. This was getting pretty old. Not being able to move just made me feel like a slob. And I, Akako Midori, was not a slob. Well, sometimes I may be a little messy, but I was definitely not a slob! I had clean hair, decent clothes, smelled pretty nice (outside of track), and made sure to look good every morning before I went anywhere. For some other people that I had seen, I could say different.

Keiko chuckled at my childish reactions. "You're just gonna have to just keep it together for a while. It should only be a couple more days before you can get out. They should let you walk around some. Akako," she said while leaning forward. "You know that you are really lucky to be alive right now. They thought you were gonna die. You appendix burst, and you had all that poison in your system. It was eating away at your organs. Seriously, hon, just take a few days to get your bearings back together. After that, you can go from there," she said. Her words really did hit me. She was right. I was really lucky.

"I guess you're right," I mumbled as I looked down at my hands which were folded on my lap. It probably wouldn't hurt me to take a few days to just rest up some.

"Ah," Keiko said. "Just because the truth slapped you in the face," Keiko said chuckling at her on joke. I couldn't help to laugh, too. When slapping was involved, dear Yusuke was always thought about. "You don't have to get all gloom-n'-doom," she said. Shrugging, she continued, "I can stop by your house to get your laptop and some of your things if you would like." I smiled as I realized how kind she was being. "Or," she said interrupting my train of thought, "I could Yusuke to go get it if your mom backed it. I mean, if you trust him in your room he could just get it. Your mom actually left a house key for one of your friends to go get your things. They just didn't have the time before they left for school today is what the nurses said," Keiko told me as she mindlessly fingered through her hair.

"If he won't make a huge mess, which he probably will even though I tell him not to, I'm fine with it; just as long as I get something to occupy myself from this boredom. It would be good to have something to do," I said as I thought about what I could get him to bring me from my house.

"Then it is decided. What do you need?" Keiko asked as she pulled her phone out of her purse. It had many dangling, fluffy key chains hanging off of it. The thought of someone her age still having so many childish things made me want to laugh my head off at the sight. Yet I wouldn't due to one thing, I had just as many things hanging off of my phone as she did.

"Some shorts, a few comfortable shirts, a hairbrush," I said as I pulled out the hairband from my hair. Feeling the waves falling from lack of support, I ran a hand through my knotty, sanguine locks. Sanguine really did describe my locks. They reminded many of the color of blood. They were bright and wild with nothing to hold them back from doing what they wished. At times, I wished they would do what I wanted more of the time. I got tired of not being able to do anything with the rope of thick red hair that could really hurt when you smacked someone with it. "I wouldn't mind a toothbrush, some toothpaste, umh," I stumbled to find more things that I would need. I definitely needed more, but nothing came to mind immediately.

"Do you want your laptop or anything?" Keiko asked helpfully in the seat she still occupied. A smile lit my face at her advice. I really would like to have my laptop. With it, I could at least attempt to finish a research paper that was due before summer break. It would also provide a good deal of entertainment for me when I had nothing else to do.

"That would be nice. Oh, my phone, too. It is sitting on the bedside table. Some shower things wouldn't hurt either. They said that I would be in here for about a week since I had all those toxins in my body. They have to do a weird thing where they would attempt to get most of them out," I inwardly groaned at the thought of having to be in here any longer than necessary.

"Hon," Keiko said looking at me with eyes which reminded me of my mother's when she was reminding me of something painfully obvious. I looked at Keiko in a way which clearly meant that I was inquiring in what she was going to say to me. "You need some underwear," she said bluntly. For a moment, the logic didn't affect me. Yeah, I would need some. I mean, who wouldn't want a clean bra and underwear. I definitely didn't feel like wearing the same for one week. That was just gross. Then it was like Buddha had slapped me right in the face.

Yusuke, the Yusuke Urameshi, would be the one who would have to go through my drawers and find the items. He would have to look through my underwear drawers. The thought made my mouth turn to cotton. It wasn't like I had little girl underwear, which I didn't, it was just that he would be looking through my… undergarments. The thought was sickening. I wasn't worried about the underwear themselves, they were actually very pretty, some with a touch of lace at the top or something, yet comfortable when I ran. The thing that mortified me was the thought of all the jokes he would make. Knowing Yusuke, he would end up taking the laciest pair he could find and then proceed to embarrass me in ways that were unimaginable.

"Bu-but," I groaned. "It would be YUSUKE!" I cried into my hands. "I can't imagine what he would do when he came back!" I moaned.

"What would I do?" I heard Yusuke call from the door. My hair and my face must have matched perfectly at that moment. Even my ears burnt as I stared wide-eyed at him. Oh. My. Gods.

"Go and get her stuff from her house. All the while," Keiko said with a smile, "being the gentleman I think that I am transforming you into." Yusuke and I both stared at her with our jaws most likely smacking the floor. I recovered before he did, not to my surprise. "I just sent you a text of all the things you need to get her and if there was somewhere specific in which it was placed, I added that as well," she said with a beautiful smile that could have made Shirley Temple tremble with anger. Standing in one fluid motion, she grabbed the bouquet of flowers from Yusuke's hand, and started to wrangle him out of the door. "Off you go. Time is wasting," she said as she managed to push him out of the door.

Right before the door closed, all I heard was a muffled "But Keiko!" from Yusuke as he was closed off from us. When the duty was done, the dusted her hands together like she was done with a huge job. "Now that he is out of the way, I would like to just talk to you," she smiled kindly. Something about that smile told me that there were ulterior motives somewhere not far behind.

"Keiko," I said to my friend. "I know that smile all too well. You use it on Yusuke enough for me to know that there is clearly something else going on," I said. The gaze she sent my way made me start to fidget in my bed. I couldn't help but to grab some of the sheets and twist them back and forth between my hands.

"You got me," she sighed leaning back in her chair in defeat. "You aren't as gullible as Yusuke anyways. Why I thought that look would work on you is past me," she said. For some reason, I knew that Keiko wasn't one to give up that easy. I was waiting to somehow fall into some deep hole that I knew, for a fact, that I would not be able to dig myself out of.

"Just tell me," I said. "I don't like to not know what the heck is going on up in there," I said pointing to her head. "It can usually get pretty gruesome for whoever is at the receiving end," I said as I looked at her warily.

"Hey!" Keiko said with a failed attempt to hold in her giggles. After she laughed at me for a minute, she composed herself. "It's not bad, I can promise you that," Keiko said as she looked at me sweetly. When I assumed she had her thoughts together, she started to talk again. "I was wondering if when you got out of the hospital if you would go with me to a dance thing. It is like a couple's thing. I really don't know that many people going. To be honest, I'm kinda scared. Yusuke would be going as my partner, and you, well, I guess you could bring one of the boys or something," she said with a shrug referring to the track team. I was slightly shocked by her offer. I really wasn't one to go out to dances or things like that. It wouldn't be that bad. I would have to get a dress, but Mom would probably want to help me with that. She was a freak for fluffy things.

"I'm not making promises," I said slowly. Even before I could finish what I was going to say, Keiko was hugging me tightly. It felt like my insides were about to pop out. Keiko sure was strong for someone of her stature. Well, I was small, but I wasn't exactly strong. I was built for running. I had great stamina and speed. When it came to physical strength, I was a failure.

"Thank you SO much," Keiko said as she continued to hug me. Pulling back, she looked at my face. "When I get more information about it, I'll shoot you a text or something. Don't worry, you won't be uninformed," she smiled. I knew her words would hold true. Keiko was surely not one to leave you without information.

I smiled warmly at her. She was so sweet. I was lucky to have a friend like her. Lightly wrapping my arms around her, I gave her a small squeeze. "You're welcome."

**Okay, first things first. I know that there are at least 14 of you reading this story. That isn't really a lot, but that doesn't matter. The story just started so more people may read it once it has longer chapters. Hopefully… On with what I was saying earlier about there being at least 14 of you reading this story. I would like to see at least 10 comments on this chapter. Come on guys, it isn't that hard is it? I know that there are some people who comment as guest and they comment on each chapter! Which I am very thankful for people who I don't know how to address correctly. I mean, all you have to do is click a couple things here and there, type something up, bad or good I just want to improve this story, and then click comment. Tell me what you like or don't like, what you think I could work on, give me suggestions, or anything else is fine. If you see grammatical mistakes, please point those out. Microsoft Word doesn't help you find everything wrong. I'm a slight perfectionist in writing, even though it probably doesn't show AT ALL… **

**The song credits go to Harry McClintock. **

**I think this chapter ended rather sweetly if I say so myself. This is the longest chapter to date. I'm happy at the chapter length. Is it too long for you guys, or maybe too short? If you have an opinion, tell me. I really want to make this fun to read. Many things take place in this chapter that build for the future. Akako's dreams all have a purpose. SO DOES THE ORB! I actually know what I am doing! *crosses fingers in fear of getting shot down with lightening for lying a bit* I have a basic idea of where I want this to go. This plan will definitely hold strong throughout this story. They never stay the same as I originally intend. Hehe, I'm just like that.**

**I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. My mother and I have been arguing a lot over MANY different things. She makes me want to smash me head against a wall. I'll try to update faster, if it is at all possible. I also had one HUGE test last week that has a huge effect on many things. I hope you guys are okay with this one being a little (read as REALLY) late.**

**I love you guys so much for even caring about taking your time to read this. I can't thank you enough! **

**Love and Wishes of Merriment: Akara K. Suzuki**

**Next Chapter: After being in the bed for three days, Akako is ready to get out and running. To her disappointment, not everyone thinks it is the best idea for her to even run again after she recovers from her surgery.**

"_**Boss," he breathed as he looked at the floor. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. No, this wasn't happening to me. I just couldn't. "Maybe you should just quit the team. It would be better for you," he said. When the words escaped his lips, it was like my heart broke in two.**_


	6. In Which the Painful Truth is Revealed

**DemonMiko Jenna: Yes, I am an evil child. I am glad you noticed. Orbey, as you have dubbed it, **** (I have no clue why, but sometimes my computer turns smileys into J's…) plays a large role. Almost all the things in this story play a large role. I am surprised with how much I have actually managed to put into this.**

**Guest: Ah, my faithful, unknown reviewer. Is it you who always comments every chapter? If you are, I am very glad that you take the time to. Hehe, Hiei really does need to slow his roll. His is very judgmental of humans in this story. Have you ever heard that Clark Kent is Superman's view of the human race? Well, Hiei is kind of like that. He sees them all as being selfish, inane, wasteful beast. He has a bad habit of looking over detail number 1. Hehe. Keiko does play a lot into this. As I said earlier, almost everything does. Hope you continue to read.**

**Mediocre Dunces: Welcome to the lovely circle of comment replies. I would PM you guys, but I have limited access to high-speed internet… DANG YOU, DIAL-UP! Anyways, I hope that Akako will develop into being strong and complex. A comment she actually made to Kurama plays in a lot later. I hope you continue to take your time in reading my story !**

Akako's P.O.V.

Did I ever mention that Hiei is a complete and utter jerk? The last time I saw him, I had been crying like an idiot. Now, I hadn't seen him for three days. Sure he had went longer than that without showing up, but for some reason it just didn't feel right that he hadn't come back. I tried to be mad at him, but I just couldn't for one big reason. Today I got to get out of the dang hospital bed that had kept me captive for way too long.

I was bouncing up and down in my bed as I watched Shuichi get ready to check me out to make sure I could get out of my bed. That was another thing, for the past three days the nurse had been acting weird. I knew he was weird, but he was just acting creepy. Whenever he would come and look at me like I had murdered someone right in front of his face. He acts odd around me like he is scared of almost doing something wrong around me. His words were constricted and thought through. He was clearly trying to hide something from me.

"Hold still, please," he said obviously adding the please in a restricted voice. I stopped fidgeting. The faster I was able to get out of this bed, even if I just got to walk around my room, the better. My legs had been itching to get going for the last three days. Every time the guys would show up after practice, it just made it worse. The way they would talk about how they couldn't wait for the race, the huge race that I was going to miss, made my heart hurt. I would nod and tell them that they were going to do good like any captain would, but I was so ashamed that I wouldn't be able to get my pride back from the last race.

When they had talked, I usually listened to what they had to say. When Hitoshi had come in yesterday, I was glad to see that he was doing a fine job of keeping the team in order. They were still practicing regularly like I wanted them to. No matter how much I wanted to race, I had to keep them going. I didn't think I would be able to know that they had stopped trying to go to the race because of me.

"Okay," I mumbled slightly. I was happy that he was trying to pull out the dang IV, but I was just so excited. When Shuichi ripped off the tape that held the needle in, I hissed a bit in pain. That piece of tape had to take off some of the skin with it by the way it had felt. So much for being a kind, gentle nurse… That really didn't suit the guy at all. Why he even worked here, I had no clue. Most nurses tended to get along with all people. I've had enough physicals in a lifetime to know that most were very kind. In Shuichi's case, he was just a fluke. To be blunt, he had a shitty attitude.

"You are good to get up now. Be careful when you walk; don't push yourself. You can get your stitches wet now, but just don't soak. That would ruin them. When you dry off, be careful not to snag them on the towel," he rambled on like he had given the speech many a times. He probably had by the way it seemed like it been engraved into his head.

"Sure thing," I said not caring about what he was saying anymore. I would be able to move. And the best thing, I would be able to take a shower! They hadn't let me get wet for the past four days so I was definitely ready to wash off some of my stink. Slinging my legs over the edge of the hospital bed, I sat my feet on the cold floor. Even though the cold made my feet hurt, it felt so good to have it under my feet.

In one fluid motion, I was standing on my feet. I giggled when I moved my toes on the floor. Oh how good it felt to get out of that bed. "This is great," I said partly to myself. I heard Keiko laugh behind me. She had come to my room every day since Tuesday. It had been really nice to have her with me. Even when Yusuke came with her and was a jerk, it didn't matter. It was nice to have another warm body in the room. Mom and Dad were supposed to come over later this evening since it was Saturday and they would both be off from work. It would be nice to see them again. They had stopped by every once in a while, but only for a few minutes. I knew how hard they worked so it really didn't bother me. I knew that they were trying their hardest to keep Kin and Hiro in college and roofs over our heads.

"Hey, Keiko," I said looking at the friendly girl.

"What is it, Hun?" Keiko asked calling me by my usually nickname. One day she had just called my hon because I used so much honey. For some reason, it had stuck.

"If you are going to ask what I think you are going to ask, let her go with you. You haven't stood in a while. I really don't feel like you falling and breaking something," the nurse said. That was another thing. Apparently he knew Keiko and Urameshi. When Yusuke had returned with all of my things, laughing his head off of course, he had managed to catch Shuichi walking in. Keiko and the nurse had stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Yusuke cracked a huge smile. He had greeted the nurse with a hard smack on the back and, just like Kazuma, calling him Kurama. What was up with people calling him Kurama? Sometimes they would even call him "Fox." What was that all about?

"How do you do that?!" I asked looking at the nurse with wide eyes. It was like he had tunneled into my brain to see what I was thinking.

"It wasn't that hard by the look on your face," he said with a slight smirk. Oh, how I wanted to slap that smirk right off his pretty boy face. I can't believe I thought he was nice at one point. Why did I have to look even a small bit similar to this jerk-off?!

"Fine," I retorted. Turning to Keiko, I saw the confusion on her face. "Hey, Keiko, do you think while I took a shower you could stay in there with me. Mister Pretty Boy over there thinks that I'm gonna fall and kill myself while I'm in there," I said with a frown. It wasn't like I was gonna be doing hand stands or anything. I was gonna sit on a chair and wash off the stink on me—wasn't so hard in my opinion.

"Sure. I don't see why not," she smiled. Something was hidden behind her smile. She was clearly trying to think things through. What could possibly be worrying Keiko? She hardly got strung up about anything. In my book, she was well known for being able to keep her cool in bad situations. Why let that slide now?

"Well, why wait?" I asked happily. I could worry about things like that later. Grabbing my bag of bath things, I looked over at the nurse. "Do you think I can change into some of my regular clothes? This gown is getting kind of annoying," I stated as I looked down at the white robe with tiny blue flowers covering it.

"By the way your scars looked and how your body is reacting, go ahead. You may even be out of here by Monday," he said with a smile that was genuine. He was probably just happy that I was going to be out of his long, hopefully gets caught in an elevator hair. If it did, I would be the one to video-tape the whole thing and post it on the internet so everyone could laugh at him with me. That would be a great day.

I couldn't help but to laugh at both of the things. The first, I was about to get out of this cesspool. The second thing that made me laugh the hair thoughts. Karma would most likely come back on me for thinking like that, but at the moment it seemed well deserved. Shuichi and I just didn't have personalities that could mix. "Let's go, Keiko," I said with my things in hand. There was no time to waste.

"I'm coming," she said with a smile. Getting out of her chair, she popped her back and sighed. Her face looked pleased when the tension in her spine was released. The look on Shuichi's face was one of almost horror.

"Keiko, don't do that to your back," he said almost like he was in pain. "It does horrendous damage to your spinal cord," he said with the same look of disgust on his face.

"K-Shuichi, I'm fine," she smiled. "I really don't think that popping my back a few times will kill me. You know as much as I do that I've been through too much to get held back by well, my back," she smiled at him kindly. I couldn't help but wonder what she was talking about. What _had_ Keiko been through? She had never really talked to be about her past. She had just many talked to me about was what was going on in her present life. She really wasn't one to get caught in the past. Looked to the future was something I knew her for. It was, again, one of the things I admired for her for.

Going over to the single door that separated the bathroom that was attached to my room from the outside, I opened the door. Examining the inside, I was pleased to see that it was a traditional Japanese shower with a stool and a tub to soak in. It would be good to have a nice, long soak after not really getting clean for four days. Walking in knowing that Keiko would come on in behind me, I sat out all my things in order that I would need them. Making sure the door concealed me from the nurse, who I particularly didn't like the idea of seeing me undress, I started to undress. It didn't take long considering I only had on a hospital night gown and a pair of underwear. I hadn't even been allowed to wear a bra because of all the frequent test that I had done to make sure my body was healing properly.

Folding my clothes neatly, I sat the gown and underwear down on a shelf to get later. I needed to remember to give them to the nurse whenever I saw him again. Walking gingerly back over to the stool, I turned up the water on the shower so it wouldn't be so cold. Holding my hand under it to see that it was the right temperature, I took the shower head and let the water go all over my body. Just the clean water felt good.

When Keiko walked in, I jumped slightly. I was so absorbed in the feeling of the water massaging my body when she had walked in I hadn't realized it was her. "You seem to be doing fine," she said with a smirk clearly in her voice. I didn't even have to open my eyes to know that she was smiling at me. Just her voice was enough for me to know that she was her happy self again. I heard her move some of my things and the sliding of the other stool on the tile floor. Cracking my eyes a bit, I saw that she had made herself comfortable in the stool and was smiling at me kindly.

"Better than fine," I said in a happy voice. When I was satisfied with how wet I was I put the shower head back in its holder so it would continue to pelt water onto my back without having to hold it. Stretching out my legs in in front of me, I was disgusted by the amount of hair on them. "Oh my gods, I look like a bear," I groaned. "Hey, toss me that razor and shave cream," I said to Keiko. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed me the razor. Thinking better of it, she just rolled the shave cream to me. It was probably better that she hadn't thrown the metal bottle at me. That probably would have resulted in more than one injury.

Sticking the handle of the razor in my mouth, I held it there so I could use both of my hands. Getting enough shave cream, I started to slather it on my legs. Rinsing the left over cream off of my hands, I watched it swirl around a few times then disappear down the drain. With a smile of complete and utter joy, I began to shave the hair off of my legs to leave them soft and smooth. Not being able to help it, I started to hum as I continued my work. It was Aizu lullaby or Sleep Sweet Baby. I could remember my mother humming it to me when I was little. Somehow, it had always managed to make me calm down when there was something wrong.

"That's a really pretty song," Keiko said quietly from the corner of the room. "It reminds me of when I was little," she said in that same quiet tone as if she talked to loud, it would disturb everything. Well, it was quite calm in the bathroom.

"Thanks. My mom used to sing it to me when I was little," I said as I continued my mission to make my legs luscious once again. Being a runner, I was used to them being clean shaven almost all of the time. It was weird for them to have grown out this long. Finally getting done with one leg, I grabbed the shower head to rinse it off. Letting the warm water rinse my leg off, I inspected it to make sure I had gotten every hair off. I hated it when I missed a spot. It would annoy me to death until I would finally just get right back in the shower for that one tiny spot. "I'm not surprised that you recognize it. You probably heard it when you were little over the years," I said as I started on my second leg. "It was pretty common," I continued.

"I thought I had heard it before," she said as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back onto the tile of the wall. "Akako," she said quietly. Stopping what I was doing, I looked at her. "I've been meaning to tell you this for quite some time now. I know I'm probably gonna sound like another person ranting to you, but I really want you to listen and hear what I am saying," she said. Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "Just don't make the mistakes I have," she said with a sad hint to her voice.

Sitting my razor down, I looked at her closely. "Keiko, I don't know what you're trying to tell me," I said as I rearranged myself on the stool. My tailbone had started to painfully dig into the plastic chair. I could only assume it was plastic because it could be cleaned more efficiently.

"Just make the right choices," she said quietly. As she pressed her eyes shut tightly, I noticed that she was trying to hold back hot tears. I couldn't help but to wonder what had brought this on. Had the nurse said something to her?

"Keiko? What do you mean by don't make the mistakes you have?" I asked. My worry and confusion was building in my mind as I watched Keiko hold back her tears. "Hey, don't cry," I said as I tried to comfort the distraught girl. It was so odd to see the usually composed Keiko lose her self-control. Not even caring, I stood up and went over to her. Getting down on my knees in front of her, I put my wet hands on her face. "Hey, you have to tell me what you mean," I said as I looked at her kind face twisted into what almost looked like pain.

Opening her eyes, she looked at me for a moment. I was surprised when she grabbed my shoulders and shook my. "Whatever you do, promise me that you will think it through first. Make sure you know that there can be consequences for almost anything. Promise me you will think your life through," she said as she continued to shake me like it would make the words go further into my head.

"Okay, I promise. I'll think things through," I said in hopes to make her stop shaking me.

"Thank you," she said when she heard my reply. Taking her hands off of me, she leaned back against the wall. "I," she sighed. "I just wanted you to have a better chance than I did. When you don't think things through thy really come back to bite you," she said with her eyes still closed. What was she talking about? Had she done something that she was regretting? But Keiko always thought her actions through before she done anything. So, what was this all about anyways?

"You should probably get that done quick if you want to have hot water left," she said. "Remember, you still can't soak," she said like nothing had just happened. At her words, I groaned. She was right. Looking down at my right side, I saw the line of stitches that ran from about the middle of my stomach to my side. The black path they left was like a line of tar on my skin. Letting my hand rest on them, for a brief moment I wondered what it would be like if I let my fingers just rip the wretched things out. When I unconsciously dug my fingers in slightly, I winced. Coming back to my senses, I continued to wash off quickly.

Starting to hum again, I finished with my second leg. After checking it, I quickly shaved my armpits. When I was content with my job, I grabbed my citrus shampoo off of the rack. Squeezing enough out into my hand, I started to lather it into my long locks. It felt good to remove the dirt from my scalp. My hair had probably looked disgusting the past couple days. After about two days, my hair would usually get a noticeable coat of grease that made it look horrid. Breathing in the familiar scent of my shampoo calmed me down a bit. When I rinsed it out, I hummed the song a tad bit louder. When my eyes were closed, it almost felt as if I was at my house and not the hospital.

Sighing, I conditioned my hair quickly. It had been without proper treatment for more days that necessary. A good dose of apple condition should perk it right up. Running my hands through my hair quickly, I rinsed out the lifesaving cream. Opening my eyes only a little to make sure any stray conditioner didn't get into them; I reached for my loofa and body wash. Once again, it was citrus scented. Citrus scents had always appealed to me. Something about them reminded me of summer. Not being keen on cold weather, the fruity scent had always lifted my spirits when it was frigid out.

When the only part of my body that wasn't washed was my side, I slowed down. Gently rubbing the loofa over the stitches, I winced a bit when the wiry stitches would catch the holes in the loofa. After washing off without ripping any stitches out, I rinsed all the way off. With one last heavy sigh, I shut off the water. Keiko's eyes opened as if she had been asleep. By the look in them, she probably had. It was really warm in the bathroom from all of the steam that the hot water had created. It was almost like a sauna. Ah, a sauna. That would be nice. Grabbing my towel from beside Keiko, I began to slowly dry off.

Yawning, Keiko looked at me through sleepy eyes. "Hey, what do say about when you get dressed, we walk down to the cafeteria? Sitting in the same room for this long must have driven you crazy. It wouldn't hurt to stretch both of our legs," she said as she stretched her legs out in front of her. Her purple skirt brushed her knees as she made her legs comfortable. Her white shite had a gorgeous purple flower pattern, which happened to be the exact same color as her skirt, on it.

"That would be nice," I said with a smile. Slipping on my clothes, I was content with the familiar feeling of having the shorts brush my thighs. They were probably one of the shorter pairs I had. Stopping mid-thigh, they made my running legs very, very visible. Pulling the loose, red shirt over my head, I straightened it out. It hung nicely on my shoulders and was really nice to show of my curves, what small ones I had. I was happy it was a loose shirt; that way it wouldn't rub against my stitches as bad. When I leaned over to dry my hair some with the towel, I felt Keiko rest her hands on top of mine.

"Here," she said kindly. "Let me do it," she said taking the towel from my hands. The way her fingers massaged my head felt so good. I couldn't help but to get drowsy as her fingers made soothing circles to pull the moisture from my hair. When she laid the towel down, she started to gently run a brush through my long locks. The way she tenderly pulled out the knots so it wouldn't hurt reminded me of when my mother would brush my hair as a small child. "Your hair is so pretty," she said aimlessly as she continued to untangle the mane of red.

"Thanks," I said with a chuckle. "You wouldn't believe how much crap I've got from it," I said as I stood back up straight. Laying a towel down on the floor to sit on so I wouldn't get my butt wet, I sat down in front of Keiko so she could keep messing with my hair. By the way her fingers moved my hair I could tell she was putting it in some intricate braid that only she would know how to do. It was crazy what the girl could pull off.

"Well, they are probably just jealous. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't," she said in her kind, calm voice. "Your hair really is beautiful," she continued as she finished off the braid. It wasn't all of my hair. The braid started at the left side of my face and ended at about where my neck would start on the other side. "It's called a waterfall," Keiko said as she watched me touch my hair. I could feel the crinkly waves go through the braid and lay against my neck and back.

"I like it," I said as I looked over my shoulder at my friend. Standing up slowly, I gathered my things in my arms. All the while, Keiko was putting the dirty towels into the clothes hamper that was outside of the door.

"They'll bring everything back to your room when they are done washing them," she said as she put my underwear that I had changed out of into the basket along with the gown and towels. I nodded in reply. Finally stepping back into the hospital room, I shivered a bit at the temperature difference. Setting my things back in their appropriate places, I placed on a set of slippers. I really didn't feel like putting on tennis shoes that would take a while to tie when Keiko was clearly ready to go. Walking over to my mirror, I wondered if I should take out my contacts. I had the kind which you could leave in for a few days without having to take them out. True the last time I had taken them out had been the day before the race I was in. Shrugging it off, I just decided to take them out when I got back.

Right before we left the room, I contemplated putting on a thin line of eyeliner and maybe some lip gloss. You never knew who you would meet… "Hun, if you are thinking about putting on makeup, don't waste your time. No one will really mind," she smiled as per usual. Dang, she must have good cheeks to smile as much as she did. I couldn't help but to laugh at the thought of how she was always yelling when she was with Yusuke. If he got a smile out of her, it was a really good day. Deciding to put on some deodorant before we left, I quickly dug through my bags to find it. Deodorant was never a bad thing. It was a good thing. Case closed.

"Thanks for telling me that I look perfect without it!" I joked as I shoved her lightly when I was done. When she shoved me back, I faked a pained look.

"Oh my gods, did I hurt you? Oh my gods! I'm so sorry, Akako!" she said as she bent over next to me. A wicked smile came over my face that was hidden with hair. Pushing her back, I started to run down the hallway with a laugh. Nurses and doctors yelled at me to stop running in the hospital or that I was disturbing the peace. I passed them all with a laugh. Behind me, I heard Keiko trailing. "Hey, that was playing dirty!" she called as she tried to keep up with me. Taking a sharp turn, I went down a quiet hall. Finding a staircase, I started to quickly travel down them to see if I could find the cafeteria.

The stairs didn't slow me down at all. I was used to coming up on stairs when I ran through the park. Trusting my body not to let me fall, I continued at a constant speed. When I was about halfway down the steps, I slowly to catch my breath. My right side hurt horribly from running and so much laughter. Creeping down the steps, I tried to stay quiet. I could hear Keiko on the flights above me. Maybe if I just stayed quiet she wouldn't hear me. Closing my eyes so I could make my breathing less loud and obnoxious, I jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Not being able to hold it in, I shrieked. Above me, I heard Keiko yell that she had found me.

Turning around, I felt my heart beating like a bird's in my chest. When I had turned far enough, I sighed when I recognized the person's scent. It was very hard to confuse it with someone else's. "Onna," he growled. "What are you doing running around like an idiot?" he continued while glaring at me.

I laughed strained as I looked at his angered face. "Um, uh, BYE!" I yelled quickly and started to run again. Pushing my legs as fast as they would carry me, which was pretty darn fast for not running for a week, I made my way to the cafeteria. Of course on the way there I ran into many adults and some children. With quick apologies yelled as I passed, I tried to make my way to the cafeteria before Hiei or Keiko could catch me. I knew that they were probably going to skin me alive if they caught me.

Right as I stepped into the large room, I was bombarded by the voices of many people. I stopped for a moment to find the most populated area of the cafeteria. Looking to the uppermost left corner, I saw that was where most of the people had gathered. Going straight for it, I didn't have time to wonder who or what was over there. I just had to get away before either Keiko or Hiei could get to me. Well, Keiko would probably laugh at first then scold me for running while I wasn't supposed to. Hiei on the other hand would yell. That could already be set in stone. He would most likely tell me that I was being an idiot and pushing myself too far, which I was but that wasn't the point. I knew, well thought, that he was just worrying over me. I definitely didn't need anyone else to worry about me. Too many were at the moment for me to be comfortable.

Weaving in and out of other people's ways, I located a seat in the back that was unoccupied. Keeping my eyes on it like it would keep me safe for the rest of eternity, I made my way to it as fast as I could. People didn't even take a second glance at me as I got closer and closer to my seat. Right as it was in reach, my mission was failed by someone grabbing my wrist.

Turning around with a gasp, I was surprised to see that the person who had captured me was not one of the two who were probably going to kill me. It was my dear, orange haired friend, Kuwabara. "Oh, it's just you," I said as I sighed. My heart rate must have jumped up a thousand times as I had thought it was Hiei or Keiko grabbing my wrist.

"What is 'at supposed to mean?" Kuwabara asked looking at me with worry on his face. Oh great. I just got myself into more trouble.

"Hehehe, um, maybe I ran all the way from my room here. And maybe Hiei and Keiko are both coming at me bloody murder, and this is just a thought but just maybe I managed to kinda trick Hiei," I smiled with the hopes of getting off the hook from the friendly ginger.

"Akako!" he said looking at me with horror in his eyes. "You know you aren't supposed to be running. Much less all the way from your room to here! Gosh, maybe I should let, wait, back up. You said Hiei and Keiko? You know those guys?" he asked with surprise on his face.

"Yeah… why does it matter?" I asked as I looked at his face confused. Why was everyone asking me if I knew all these people? Just because you know someone doesn't mean that I don't know them.

Right before Kuwabara could answer, I heard a growl. Turning around slowly, I laughed emptily when I saw the scowling face of Hiei. "Hey," I said with a smile hoping that he wasn't extremely pissed.

"Onna, why are you out of bed?" he growled at me. His eyes traveled to where Kuwabara's hand was attached to my wrist. A look of disgust came upon his face. Clearly he didn't like Kuwabara touching me. What was up with that? Slowly pulling my wrist away from Kuwabara's hand, I ran my hands over my shorts to attempt to dry off some of the sweat.

"Well, Keiko and I were going to walk down to the cafeteria when we kinda started to play around. In short, I managed to start to run away from Keiko and we, well, let it get out of hand," I said. The only thing I could hope for would be a swift death. Knowing Hiei, he was going to throw me over his shoulder and make me sit in that dang bed for the rest of eternity.

"Hey!" a wheezing voice said from behind us. Turning around, we all saw Keiko with her hands on her knees. "Gods, how did you run all the way from your room and not have trouble breathing?" she asked as she straightened herself up. Eyes locking on the guys, she had a confusing look on her face. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

Pulling the chair out from under the table, I sat down with a groan. "This is gonna take a while. Why is this happening so much?" I asked to myself as I sunk further into the plastic chair if it was possible. "Maybe they will just talk themselves to death and I won't have to deal with them anymore," I grumbled as I looked at the three trying to figure out what each one of them was doing here and why. Hiei, of course, was just grinding his teeth and looking like he was going to punch them in the face. Seeing that this was going to take a while, I decided that I could probably get some type of food.

Even though I had just sat down in my chair, I got up and silently went to go get some food while they were occupied with each other. Standing up slowly, I started to creep away from the talking group. When I was finally far enough away for my footsteps to not be distinguished, I started to pick up my pace. Having small legs, I had learned to take large strides. Getting to the food line, I looked over my options. There wasn't much, but that was okay with me. Grabbing what I assumed to be a small, half-hazard made bento, I wondered what I should drink. With a scowl, I realized that I had even less options with a drink. Selecting a bottle of water, I went up to the check-out. When I paid the cashier with the money I had shoved in my pocket, I sighed.

Giving her a small thank you, I walked back over to the table. I was surprised to see that they were still talking. With a shrug, I sat down and started to eat. Breaking my chopsticks apart, I took another glance at them. At the moment, Hiei looked hell bent on killing Kuwabara right there where he stood. Keiko, in the meanwhile, was looking like she was going to pull her eyeballs out if she had to stand there and argue with them any longer. When I finally turned back to my bento, I let out a little shriek when I saw, yet again, one of my friends sitting in front of me.

"Gods, Haku. You scared the crap out of me," I said placing my hand over my chest. I watched as he quickly plucked some of the food from my bento out with his fingers. Even though it was rude, he looked like he didn't care. I noticed a sheen of sweat on his forehead and arms that weren't covered by sleeves. He was wearing his team jersey, which they all happened to be tank tops. Sleeves weren't needed or wanted be runners.

"You're welcome," he said with a small smile. That was when I realized what had happened between us earlier. Trying to push it out of my head, I noticed that the small group of arguers was finally making their way to the table. With a sigh, Keiko sat down beside me. Putting her elbows on the table, she rested her chin in her hands.

"That was unexpected," Keiko mumbled. Looking over at my food, she squinted. "I'm gonna go get some of that. I still haven't eaten," she trailed off to look at the food line.

"Go ahead," I urged continuing to stuff my face and not paying attention to those around us. Food came first in my book. Social things came after that. Reaching for my bottle of water, I finally looked up from my meal for the first time since I had started to eat. Noticing that it was gone, I felt my eyebrows furrow. Where had it gone?

"This what you're looking for?" Kuwabara asked holding my bottle of water. I couldn't help but to notice that it was only half full. I caught the guilty look on Haku's face. Giving him a mock glare, I held my hand out for Kuwabara to hand me the stolen water. When he handed me the bottle, I smiled at his goof ball face. Unscrewing the cap of the bottle, I took a few drinks. I knew I was really going to have to get a new bottle soon.

"So, how did you guys work out your little spat?" I asked looking at the two who were present. Raising my eyebrows, I waited for an answer. I realized how hungry I really was when I started to eat again. Glancing around for Keiko, I saw that she was paying the cashier and getting ready to come back to the table. With a polite smile to the cashier, she started to make her way towards us. Weaving through people, she sat her food down and slid me a water. "Thanks, Hun," I said looking at her with a smile. For some reason, we always called each other Hun. It was just an ongoing thing that had started since we had known each other.

"No problem," she said while settling down with her own bento. Breaking her own chopsticks, she started to eat. Like the lady she was, her bites were tiny and no food escaped her chopsticks or got on her face. It was really amazing how she was such a lady and she had a jerk-off like Yusuke.

"Onna," Hiei spoke for the first time in a while. Looking at him with my chopsticks still in my mouth, I waited for what he was going to say. He was probably going to start yelling at me again for being an idiot or something. "You really need to take better care of yourself," he growled. There it was. I knew it. Yet, it wasn't one of his usual growls. This one didn't hold any anger in it. Maybe after growling with his words for so long, that was just how he spoke. Hiei never really talked nicely. Giving orders and calling people idiots was really all he done; yet, he had talked to me in a voice that held kindness in it before. He did have enough of a heart to ease up some of his anger when someone was hurt.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked calmly. I really wasn't worried. I knew he was, like I had stated earlier, probably going to rant to me about not outrunning myself and pacing myself in what I done.

"I think I know what he is trying to say," Haku cut in. The look that Hiei gave him was a cross between anger and approval. Okay, something was definitely up with those two. Still, I had to deal with the whole Haku thing. Gods that was going to be something to work out… "Boss," he breathed as he looked at the floor. The way he said it made me suspect something else was happening. The way he looked at me was a look, sadly, that I knew from times in the past. It was the face he used when there was something very, very serious. Since Haku could be mature, even though he had his childish tendencies (Don't we all?!), I always took that look seriously. I racked my brain for what he could possibly be talking about. When it hit me, it was like getting God smacked. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. No, this wasn't happening to me. It just couldn't. "Maybe you should just quit the team. It would be better for you," he said. When the words escaped his lips, it was like my heart broke in two.

I stared at him. It was like he was the only person in the room. The seriousness on his face as he looked at me was past any that I had ever seen on his face before. He didn't look like the child I had always seen him as before, he looked like he was older. More mature. He looked like a man sitting in front of me. Not just any man, a man who was in pain watching something happening to the ones he loved. The pain in his eyes was almost too much for his face. It was too much. A happy face like that should not be subjected to that kind of pain and sorrow. What had I gotten myself into?

Hiei's P.O.V.

The look on the kid's face as he talked to Akako made me growl inside. He was looking at her like, like she was his. She wasn't his. She would never be his. She would never be anyone else's. She was mine. Why hadn't I done anything about it?! Did she even realize how many males she was attracting to herself? No, apparently she didn't. She was completely and utterly clueless.

When a growl escaped my throat, the buffoon's head snapped towards me. Looking at him, I saw his eyes grow large. "Hiei," he whispered, "d-does she mean something to you?" By the questioning in his eyes, I could tell it was a double question. First, did she mean anything to me; secondly, if the first question was answered with a yes, what was that something. "Dude," he continued with frantic eyes searching the cafeteria. "You're energy is freaking out," he muttered while keeping his eyes forward. "It would probably be a good idea if you got out of here…" he trailed off. Locking eyes with me, I could tell that, even though I hated to admit it, he was probably right.

Looking at Akako, I saw that something in her had cracked. The kid had said it too early. The idiot should have at least let her get out of the hospital before he told her friggin things like that. Even I knew that. Inari, I truly was surrounded by complete idiots. Glancing back at her, the look on her face made me feel that rush of heat inside me again. Growling, I stood up and shoved the chair back as I went.

The sound of my chair screeching against the tile floor caught almost everyone's attention in the cafeteria. For a split second, it was dead quiet. Everyone was waiting to see what I would do. After I didn't do anything immediately, most of the inane chatter started back up again. Taking my chance, I pushed into the kid's mind.

I was slightly surprised when he didn't gasp or react at all. He just sat there looking at me with the same look he had before. So, he was used to being communicated with through the mind. Hn, not really surprising.

_"Well, Mr. Jagan user, you gonna say anything?"_ he asked in his head. The voice was nice and inviting. He was very used to this it seemed. "If you are just going to rummage around, I would like to ask you to leave," he stated in a very calm voice. What was up with this kid? He should have at least changed his facial expressions. No one was this calm when the Jagan invaded their head. Unconsciously, I could hear the baboon mumbling to me about getting out of his head. Something about it not being a good idea. Not listening to him, I done what I was trying to do from the beginning.

_"If you ever, ever try anything with Akako, I will rip you limb from limb," _I growled into his head. _"She is_ mine. _That's final,"_ I used the most feral voice I had in me. It felt so good to talk angry to someone like this.

_"I don't see any evidence of you on here. Don't smell it either,"_ he said. An evil smirk came across his mind. He didn't have to show it physically for me to know that it was there. _"That, my friend means that she is open for grabs,"_ he said. I could practically see him batting those damn eyelashes of his. Hell, I really wanted to just kill him right there. Anger rose in me so fast I thought I was going to go crazy with bloodlust. The thought of killing him would only help so much. Shoving the images of what I would do to him in his mind, I let him see himself die in many, many painful ways. _"Well, seems you are very imaginative,"_ he said like he was talking to a small child who was showing him a finger painting. That was when I lost it. That calm voice of his made me go crazy.

Pulling out of his mind, I lunged for him. I was surprised to feel the presence of lower spirits. What was going on?! There weren't any spirits here before! _"Ah, so know you are realizing what I can do. It is very simple really. Calling dead spirits to do my bidding can become very creative if you know how to do it correctly,"_ his voice echoed in my head.

"A few lower spirits won't do shit to me," I growled out loud. I had no reason to talk in his mind anymore. Going for him again, I heard the chair that was behind me scrap even further back on the floor. Right as I was about to get to him, I felt a hand on my wrist. It wasn't just any hand; it was one I knew very well. How could I forget the heat that she let flood through my skin when she touched me? It was so… there were no words for what she done to me. I had to keep myself from moaning at the way her touch affected me. The worst part, she didn't even know. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the idiot's eyes get large again. Had he noticed the spike in my energy? It would probably be impossible not to.

"Hiei," Akako said through a throat full of tears. "Please, please don't do anything to him. I-I just wanna go and sleep. I really need to think. You hurting someone won't solve anything," she said with her eyes downcast. When she did look up at me, she was still sitting in her chair; I could see it in her eyes that she truly didn't want me to hurt him. "But, thank you for trying to help," she said. Wrapping her around my waist, she squeezed me to her. I stiffened at the physical contact. It felt so good, yet, it was so foreign. The touch of another was not something I had experienced much before that held so much caring. There was a difference between the touch of someone you would never remember the face of in the morning, and someone whose face was engraved into your brain like a hot iron had branded it there.

_"So, I see what you mean by yours,"_ the kid said into my mind. He was clearly assessing the situation to see what there was between Akako and I. Hn, at least he knew how to look at the situation and see what he was dealing with. That was more than I could say about some of the people that I knew, most of which I wished I didn't. "That is going to have to be fixed," he said while slightly furrowing his eyebrows. The motion would probably go unnoticed by anyone else; yet, to me, it was shown all too well. The little prick head was really starting to annoy the shit out of me.

Pushing Akako away from me, gently (as gentle as Hiei can be…) yet sternly, I walked away without a glance back. Looking into the past was for the weak. Always look forward. If you took your time to look at the past, you won't be able to see what was ahead of you. Even though I could still hear the sobs of Akako, I kept going. Tears, they were something I did not waste my time on. They were a show of weakness. I was not one for weakness.

**This chapter made me feel like slamming my head against my desk and throw Forest (my damn old geezer laptop that I can hear friggin wheeze when I use it) out the window… I guess it was good. Up to about three-fourths of the way through it, that was where I lost it. I have no clue why, but this chapter was just kind of weird. Meh, we all have our bad days. I'm trying to plan out this story better in my head. You see, I am at point A at the moment. I know what point C is, but I have no clue how to get there. Point B just avails me. Point A will still be in play for a while, but point B is just as important. Do you guys understand what I mean? Well, I would like to share a quote with you to maybe clear your mind after my weird explanations.**

"**A perfect cherry blossom is a rare thing. You can spend your whole life looking for one, and it will not be a wasted life."**

**~Kusamoto (Ken Wanatabae) **_**The Last Samurai**_

**I hope you enjoyed that. The only reason that I looked that up was because my school librarian but me up to the task to decorate the school sports bulletin board, which is horrendously large. So, I decided to draw cherry blossoms since it is almost spring and all. Seeing that I had a crap load of room left, I decided to put a pretty spring quote.**

**So, did this chapter go okay? In all honesty, I have no clue what I am going to do with the next chapter. End of the year tests are coming up here in about 5 or 6 weeks for me. So, in other words, that means that I am going to have a shit ton of things to do… I had the end of the school year. My schedule has been cluttered and some things are going on in my family at the moment so I was surprised I got this chapter done as quickly as I did. I hope I can continue to get the chapters up fairly quickly. Well, I guess that is about it… See you guys soon.**

**~A Sleepy Akara Kaiyo Suzuki**


	7. In Which Genkai Makes an Appearance

**Guest: Would you be okay if I dubbed you Constance? I think it would be appropriate due to the fact that you are one of the few things in my life that is constant. I always know that you are going to comment on my chapters, which is usually what I look forward to when I publish them. I love how you pick apart the character and tell them what you think. Someone explained to me that they thought of Akako like this, she isn't necessarily scared of the running again. She is scared of the thought of if she does try, she will get proved that she shouldn't do it anymore. Running for her is almost like therapy. She always runs when she doesn't know what to do, so the thought of not being able to run anymore terrifies her. Okay, I have a question for you. Why do you always comment as a guest? I've always commented as myself… I would just like to know your reasoning. I think it would be an interesting topic to think about.**

**DemonMiko Jenna: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know good and well that I work on my chapters very hard. I don't know if you can say the same. XD Haha. AH, you know you love me too much to threaten me. Hope you continue to read, Hun. You think you want to slap Hiei now? Well, you truly are going to hate me aren't you?**

**Is it bad that I have started to make decisions based upon the way that a game of Spider Solitaire goes? I think I should be a little concerned about how I make my decisions from now on… Anyways, my mother has started to disapprove of my attire. Apparently I need to dress more like a female, and wear colors… also; she says that I should not wear things that are black. But, it isn't warm enough yet. Winter deserves no colors. Anyways, people overuse bright colors. It's a shame how quickly the killed neon colors. Damn you people who ruin something cool. Your pretty faces are going to Hell. Anyways, on with what I am supposed to do in this part of the intro.**

**I'm not sure if I put a disclaimer last time… Does it really matter? We all know who owns Yu Yu Hakusho and all the beauty of it. (Which for some reason my sister doesn't think it is beautiful… The transformation isn't working! What was wrong with my plans?!) Anyways, you all know that I own nothing of Yu Yu Hakusho. All I earn are my own characters who at times, I want to slap as much as you do. Trust me. I want to slap Akako at times. Yet, I love her too much.**

**In Which Genkai Makes an Entrance**

Hiei's P.O.V.

Exiting the stinking ningen facility, I made my way quickly to Genkai's temple. I needed to kill something. Maybe some of the lower class demons in the forest around there would be suitable. If they weren't enough, a small trip to the Makai wouldn't be that bad. It might actually be a good idea to be able to smell the stench of death in the air and the cold blooded murder of innocents. Hn. The home I knew was much more real than this one. You got what you deserved. You killed to live, and lived to kill. That was how I lived my life. I would never change that. Yet, there was something that was trying to get me to forget that way of life. I didn't know what it was, but I didn't like it.

Picking up speed, I saw the trees blur past as I ran. I wasn't scared of hitting them. I knew my way all around this city and knew all too well every tree in the area. There weren't many to get to know anyways. I had dubbed many of them unworthy of a place to rest. They smelt of the ningens. They had been grown in unhealthy ground. They were not to my liking at all. The trees at Genkai's temple, however, were grown in the soil of a dark, demented forest. Just how I liked it. It was like you could practically smell the blood that they soaked up when they had grown. The water and soil that they had grown in harbored the blood of the insolents that had fallen to their death. Many of which had faced their death by my own hands. It almost made me smile. If that was possible in any way for me.

As I got closer to Genkai's temple, I could tell that the smell of the ningens was getting less and less pungent. Genkai's land always smelt clean and unpolluted by stupidity. Well, that was if the orange, haired idiot wasn't there. He could probably stink up a whole city if he had the chance. Ugh, if you turned the doofus loose, he would most likely manage to make everyone die of exposer to his stupidity. Over the years, I must have developed some odd immunity to it. Kurama had probably found some way of making a concoction that would allow him to be around the idiot without catching the stupid. The former detective, on the other hand, had long ago fallen to the levels of stupidity almost equal to the buffoon. Once you fell to that level of insolence, you never had a chance to come back. It was almost like being dragged to the deepest depths of Hell… only worse. At least in hell you would have coherent thoughts of being a sadistic, narcissistic—whatever kind of person you were—person there. Being at that level of stupidity however, it was more humane to kill them. They would then have a chance at Nirvana. That was, if it was real. Nirvana, Heaven, Tian, The Good Kingdom Planes [1], _Deva Loka, _and all the other heavens up there were most likely nothing but a myth. Hell was the only thing I believed in. Everyone was disgusting in one way or another. It was just appropriate that you burn for all of eternity. What Koenma and all his lackeys done was past me. There were too many out there for me to count. If they did want to get to one, that was their deal. I had no plans to ever get to one of the "Heavens". I was forever condemned to an afterlife of misery and blood. It was what I deserved, not that I would really have to worry about that for a while.

Arriving at the temple, I took a deep breath to locate Yukina. I wouldn't be surprised if she was still pissed off at me. Maybe not telling her in the first place was idiotic. Dammit! That fox was right again. It would be easier if he had a warning label or something that read 'Warning: This item is not wrong, will never be wrong, and will always prove you wrong. Therefore, it is always right. Side-effects may include aggression, agitation, headaches, nausea, occasional bloodlust, depression, and on rare occasions… death.' I swear, one day I was just going to kill him when he is right. How was he right all the time anyways? It wasn't like someone could be right all the time; yet, the fox seemed to always prove us wrong. The day when someone proved the fox wrong would be the day the world was truly coming to an end.

Finding Yukina's energy, I realized that she was in her room. What was she doing in her room? She was always out and about when the weather was good. I was surprised she wasn't in the garden. She usually sat and tended to the flowers that were already perfect, due to the fox. That was another thing that enraged me. Kurama could bring more happiness to my sister than I by growing freakin' flowers. Yukina always made sure not a single blossom was dead or a single weed had appeared in her little paradise. The little pond in the middle had became a place in which she would sometimes stick her feet in and just sit there and look at the koi as they swam round and round. Some days I wondered what it would be like if I was to join her in her little world of happiness. Those thoughts would all end when I realized that I deserved no happiness in this life. I deserved what I had gotten. Like I promised to Shigure, I had told Yukina nothing about me being her brother. When she had figured out on her own had been the problem. I could barely stand the thought of her hating me for the rest of eternity. At the same time, I knew it was what I had been expecting that reaction the whole time. Who would want a brother like me? I was a horrid, wretched demon with no actions in my book that hadn't been a sin.

Grinding my teeth together, I wondered if it would be okay for me to open the Jagan to look in on her. I almost stopped when I remembered how the Jagan had been acting lately. Whenever I would go to use it, the only thing that would come to mind would be images of Akako. That feeling that I had became accustomed to would fill my body with a heat so hot I thought it would overpower the flame that I was. How could I feel the heat? I was a fire demon. Even though the flame has been in my veins since birth, I have never felt a burn like the one Akako made me have. It was almost uncomfortably hot. I had lovers in the past and I knew what went on between two people—male or female partners, demons didn't really mind—in bed. I had experience in the field, in the Makai, young demons hardly ever held back their desires. If they desired sex, they would go get it. It wasn't unheard of for a young demon to be sexual active. It wasn't even rare. I hated to think about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Yukina had already experienced it. The only thing I could hope for was that she hadn't done such things with the oaf. That was when a line was crossed. No one, no one, was going to touch my sister without my consent from now on.

Going back to the situation at hand, I considered if I should use the Jagan or not. I had no time for the desire that it pushed onto me. At the same time, I knew that I didn't need to make Yukina any angrier with me. That would only make matters worse—if that was possible. Right as I was about to just walk further away into the forest, I remembered something Akako had told me long ago. _'If you want something, someone, and anything really, but it is too far away, take a leap. If someone is angry at you, forgive them even if they are the one who is wrong. They may know that they are, but they might not be able to accept it because it would make them feel weak. If you love someone and they love you back, they'll forgive you. You might not like it, but you may have to be the one to take that step forward. Be the one to take that running leap at forgiveness, at love, at hope, at happiness. Once you start running, you never know how far you can leap until you try.' _I could still remember the way the way the sun shined down on her creamy skin as she had gotten ready to run one of her treasured races. It hadn't surprised me that she had used a reference to running, but that wasn't the point. I knew that she had been right. Damn it! Why was everyone around me freaking right all the time?! Taking a deep breath—a very forced one—I decided to take her advice. Oh gods, why was I taking ningen advice?! I knew better than that.

Continuing to grind my teeth, I clenched and unclenched my hands. I was going soft. I knew it. Taking my chances, I slipped off the warded headband that kept the Jagan in check—usually. Recently, the warded headband had only helped keep it from showing its full power even though it had opened many a time. When the headband was off of my skin, the Jagan suddenly opened with a flash. My head was bombarded with images of Akako. Willing all my powers, I tried to control the continuous attacks to my brain. Even when I tried to keep it in check, the Jagan would just push through my barriers. Growling, I put my hands on my head and tried to cover it or anything. Pain, pleasure, hate, anger, and lust all raced through my veins at the same time. I knew I was losing my grip on my conscious state. When I felt a familiar feeling in my arm, I looked down. The warded bandages that held the Dragon in were burning off from the power it was emitting. Dammit! Why had I taking the damn headband off?!

Purple energy swirled around my arm as the Dragon tried to rip free. It was almost like the Jagan was urging the Dragon to rip free and destroy everything in its path. Grabbing my arm, I pulled it to my chest. I couldn't let the dragon escape this close to the temple with Yukina inside. She and the entire temple could very well be dragged to the deepest depths of hell by it. Stumbling backwards, I tried to get away. I wasn't running away; I was trying to keep the one thing, at least I thought the one thing, which I cared about in the slightest safe. If I let anything happen to Yukina, I would gladly let the buffoon kill me. That was if I was alive by the end of it.

Going as far back as I could, I felt my back hit a tree. The Dragon and Jagan were doing a toll on me. My energy was wavering sporadically as I tried to get the two different powers together. The energy signals would be huge red flags to any demons in the area. Maybe even some lower class ones would come and try to overpower me in this state. When the Jagan started to throw images at me even faster, for some reason I examined them as best as I could while they flew by. It was almost like a ningen slideshow that was broken to where the pictures went so fast that you could only get a glimpse of each one. You could catch a certain thing in each picture and that was about it. Being even more overpowering, the Jagan stimulated my senses to make me think that each scene was real.

I could feel rain falling against my back as I watched her through her window as she slept with a ningen illness; the wind blew against my face as I watched her race from a favorite tree, I could smell the green of the tree and the filth of the surrounding ningens; it smelt like citrus as Akako wrapped her arms around me in the first hug—as the ningens called the embrace—that I had received from a ningen, the warmth of her body wrapped around me making my senses going into overload; the feel of her legs tangled in mine as she clung to me the night before that wretched, ningen surgery. I moaned as the scenes went from real ones that had happened to situations made up by the Jagan. My hand running through her hair, down her neck, into the collar of her shirt to explore further down as my leg parted her knees to let my other hand explore; intimate embraces that made me almost feel pain at the lust; my tongue running up the side of her neck. Trying to swallow, I found that my mouth was completely dry.

When I could feel the Dragon detaching itself from my arm, I knew that it was all over. The Jagan was pushing it on. I had tried as much as I could. I was so weak. The images started to morph. I would go from running my hands down her chest to dig my fingers in as I went down leaving blood flowing from the long wounds; my mouth going from nibbling and suckling on her neck to aggressively ripping her throat out filling my mouth with her sweet blood made almost sweeter by her fear and pain; my hands in her hair holding her to my mouth then digging my fingers into her scalp and pulling away to feel each strand of hair slowly detach with my hands as she cried in agony. All the once desirable situations turning to violent, ravenous ones that ended in Akako crying and begging in pain for me to stop. I would go from a lovers caress to almost rape. Sometimes it was rape. My heart rate increased as the scenes got worse and worse. Akako crying as I forced her to have sex with me; crimson stains left on sheets from wounds left on her back and arms; those lifeless, green eyes that still held the pain of her death staring up at me as blood completely covered her naked body that was ruined by what looked like a gang rape—if you considered one irate fire demon equivalent to a gang. All the time that the horrid things were running through my mind, the Dragon was gaining power and the Jagan was willingly pushing it forward in its path of destruction.

I was too late to stop it. The Dragon completely detached itself from my body and got ready to strike. Somehow through all that was going on, I saw Yukina through the Jagan whipping her head towards the area where I was. She must have sensed my energy spiking and the Dragon coming out. Giving it one last chance—even though the chance was only wasting my energy—I tried to hold the Dragon back. When I was unable to, I felt it start to dig through the air directly towards the temple. As the Jagan sucked all my energy from me to power the Dragon, I could tell I wasn't going to be conscious for much longer. Even as I tried to hold my eyes open to watch the destruction that the Dragon was leaving in its wake, I could only keep them open long enough to see it turn its head towards the temple. Then, it all went dark.

* * *

Akako's P.O.V.

Walking back up to my room, everything replayed in my head. When I had hugged Hiei, I had felt the flinch. Who wouldn't have felt it? But I had also felt how he had relaxed once I had my arms around him for a moment. The one moment when he had been fully relaxed in my arms, I had been so happy. It would have only been better if he had wrapped his arms around me in return. Oh gods, this was getting bad. Well, I had always seen Hiei as an attractive person, who wouldn't? But now, it was almost like my feelings were trying to get more intimate. I didn't mind that my feelings were growing; I just wanted to know if they would be returned before I went and done something stupid. Well, that wasn't something that needed to be dealt with at the moment. I had other things to worry about. Many of those things did involve Hiei, but that wasn't exactly the point. One thing that I was worried about was Hiei and Haku. There was clearly something going on between the two that I had no clue what it was about. I wished I could understand why they were at each other's throats. I just wanted them to get along. They didn't have to be best friends and have slumber parties, but they at least needed to make an effort to not kill each other. A smile or two exchanged between them wouldn't hurt.

Looking around the room, I noticed a remote sitting on the drawer where the TV was sitting on. With a sigh, I decided that seeing the outside world might not be that bad of an idea. Grabbing the remote as I walked past to get to my bed, I sighed. Keiko was coming back up once she got done eating. The others had things to do. Well, I didn't know what Hiei had left for—other than being a jerk—so I really couldn't understand him. If I had learned one thing about Hiei over the years it would have to be his messed up logic. He was very temperamental, got ticked off easy, and didn't take shit; yet, Hiei also had an almost gentle side to him that wasn't seen much. It wasn't exactly how some people see kindness. When they saw his kind side, they would probably think that he was just a child that was being forced to be somewhat sociable in public. It was almost like he didn't know how to be kind. Another way to describe it would be a dog that wanted love, but didn't know how to give it. It's rough with its actions and does harm, but doesn't mean to. It was just trying to show you that it loved you but expressed it the wrong way. It's quite sad really.

Hopping onto the bed, I sat Indian-style so I could be comfortable. Pulling the sheet up over my slightly chilled legs, I hunched forward and started to channel surf. There was nothing really on. Soap-Operas, children's shows, documentaries on nature, there was some good anime on but I really didn't feel like stopping, the usual show about the housewives who got everything and wanted even more, the news (depressing as usual), "educational" entertainment, and a whole lot more. Now I remembered why I tended not to watch television. There was nothing on. After flipping for a while, I noticed that the hospital didn't block certain things that most likely should have been blocked since there were children in this hospital as well. When I heard someone enter the room, I looked away from the television to see who it was. I was slightly surprised to see that it was Yusuke.

"Hey," he said quietly as he entered the room nonchalantly as usual. Hah, he always had such confidence in himself. It was actually one of the things I admired about him. He had such confidence in himself that he didn't let anyone else get him down; him and Kazuma both. I could only assume that, from what I've heard, that they only fought because their personalities were so close to one another's. It was like when Kin and Saburo were in a room together. Sure they were friends because I had made the two at first, their friendship had blossomed in the later years, but they could hardly get along after being around each other for a while. Their personalities just couldn't do it. Both of them couldn't take being pushed around by the other. It was actually quite funny to see them horsing around to get the last piece of pizza or something like that. Compromises just weren't in their blood. If they wanted it, they were hardcore programmed in their testosterone fueled bodies that the largest male would get it. Which in that case, they were both about the same. Kin and Saburo's body types were almost exactly alike. They were both slender yet had a good amount of muscle, not too bulky but enough to look good, and they both had long legs. Long legs must be something that just runs in our family—excluding me from the privileges of having ubber long legs.

"What are you up to? I thought you and Kazuma were going to hang out since you hadn't seen each other in a while," I said recalling the conversation at the table after Hiei had left. Apparently Kazuma and Yusuke hadn't been able to hang out much as just friends so they had decided that today would be a good day to go out and catch up. Which, in man language, translated to they were going to go try to beat the crap out of each other and them laugh and shake hands afterwards. Men and their weird ways of communicating were just past me. Even after living with three men, having all of the track team to deal with, plus having Hiei—his brain was a completely different story— to try to figure out, I still had no clue what battling it out would do for them to strengthen their friendship. Wouldn't that just make it worse in the long run?

"Ah, after Shrimp ruined it, and he got a call from Shizuru, we decided to call it off. We can always go beat the crap out of each other tomorrow," he grinned cockily. My point was proven without even having to dig for it. Did I find it surprising, heck no.

Right as I was about to reply, there was a gasp from Yusuke. When he lunged at me, I almost threw the remote and held back a scream as I saw the look of almost lunacy of his face. I was completely surprised when the ripped the remote from my hands and turned up the volume all the way. The TV shrieked the sounds of what I assumed to be a slamming door. "What the heck Yusuke?!" I growled as I looked at him with anger clearly in my voice. My side hurt from the way I had turned and tried to avoid being smushed to death by the larger guy.

"It's Ghost Fighter [2]. He is the coolest exorcist ever," he drooled as he stared at the screen. At the word ghost, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Lunging right back at the boy—well, he really wasn't a boy but I would always see the guy as one—I tried to get the remote back. "Hey!" Yusuke protested as I tried to rip it from his grasp just as I had done to him. "Don't change the channel! I haven't seen this episode!" he complained as he tried to stay away from me. Even though my side protested every move I made, I had to get that remote from him. Every noise that the ghost—real or not, it was too much for me—on the screen made sent a shiver up my spine.

"I don't care!" I said as I made another attempt to get it back. Since Yusuke had, for reasons unbeknownst to me, stayed seated on the bed, I wrapped one arm around his neck and the other I used to reach out in front of us both and try to grab it. "I am not watching something about freaky ghost!" I said as I continued my futile attempts to get the saving grace that would stop the coming nightmares out of Yusuke's hands.

"Why not?! Ghosts are awesome!" he replied as I took another reach for the remote. Changing the hand that it was in, he kept me from grabbing it easily. Almost letting out a growl of anger, I tried for it again. When the noises on emitted from the television got worse and worse, I could feel my heart start to beat faster and faster.

"Yusuke, change the channel," I said. Something in my voice must have made him realize something. Still continuing to keep me from the remote, Yusuke turned completely around to face me. The grin on my face told me everything. Well, it was more like an evil smirk than a grin, but that really wasn't the point. The point, I must say, is that he must have caught on to exactly what was running through my brain.

"Akako," he said in an exasperated voice. "You wouldn't happen to be scared of ghost would you?" he asked. The look on my face must have been a good enough answer for him. "Ah, so I see why you want me to change the channel so bad. You don't want to see the scary ghost try to get revenge on the man who is gonna get them," he said with a devious smirk. "It'll be so beautiful," he said, the smirk that occupied his face growing ever larger. As a crashing sound came from the TV, my head swiveled to see what it was unintentionally. What I saw kept my eyes glued to the screen. No matter how hard I tried to pull them away, I wasn't able to. The dark, shadowy figure at the end of the hall kept getting closer and closer. I could see the tattered dress that hung from her small figure. Her head was turned at a disgustingly irregular angle. The way her hand twitched towards her other arm wasn't that bad. Well, that was until I looked over to see that her other arm ended in nothing but a bloody stump right at the wrist that was letting blood drip freely onto the floor that she walked on. My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest. Right when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I heard the sobbing, jerk of her chest as she tried to breath. It sounded like her lungs were filled with fluid. All I hoped was that it wasn't blood. As she got closer and closer to the front of the screen, I felt my heart start to beat like it was about to stop. She took a step closer. She was almost in the light. Another step was taken. Then another was taken at almost a limp. Her face was almost in the light. When she took another step, right before I could see her dreadful face, the TV made a weird noise and went black.

As the image faded into oblivion, I let out a deep breath that I wasn't conscious of holding in. Wandering why the television had cut off expected, I looked around to see what or who it was. I was completely surprised when I saw a familiar red head with the cord to the TV in his hands. "Yusuke," he said with an almost angry voice. Well, this was the one time I would let him get away with being mean.

"Hey, Foxy, didn't think you would show up!" he said with his smile on his face as usual. "I just found out that little Akako here is scared to piss of ghosts," he grinned evilly. "I wonder if she hates demons too?" he said with a glint of something hidden in his eyes. It felt as if my blood ran cold at what he was saying. Demons, ghost, apparitions, whatever the heck you called them all scared the living crap out of me. I had always had a fear of them. Something about the thought of their soulless eyes, abnormally colored skin, and unneeded limbs all creeped me out. Just something about them made me cringe.

Looking to the only other person in the room for help, I pleaded with Shuichi to help me. Something in his eyes was almost disturbing. They had a weird calculating glance that I had never seen in someone as young as him. I could practically see the genius wheels turning in his head. "So, you have a phobia of demons," he said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. "That's interesting," he said as he looked out the window to mumble to himself. What was going on in that little head of his? Something about the guy just threw me off, this on the other hand, made me concerned about my well-being in general. I knew he could do anything to me if he got a grudge. Plus, we already had a bone to pick about Hiei.

"K—"Yusuke started but stopped speaking when a glare was thrown his way by Shuichi. "Shuichi," he restarted. What had been starting to say earlier? "Why is it interesting? I just wanna scare the piss out of her. I thought she already knew since she knew H—" he was cut off once again by a second glare from the nurse. Something unheard by me passed between the two as I watched their faces change at the same time. "Well, never thought the shrimp would do_ that_," Yusuke continued as he looked at Shuichi with uncertainty. "You would think after a while there would be a confession or someone would catch on," he said as he raised his eyebrows.

"Some people are just oblivious to the truth. In this instance, it was right in front of them for quite some time and it still is. Yet, it is left unaccepted or unturned. Just a matter of wanting to accept it or not," he shrugged. As my gaze traveled between the two, I knew slightly what they were talking about. I wasn't an idiot. I knew that they were talking about me. The thing that I didn't know what was exactly they were talking about. From what I had gathered, it involved some secret. Since Yusuke had started to say something that started with me knowing "H—" I assumed he was talking about Hiei. So, he really did have more secrets then he was letting on. Well, that was surprising (read with as much sarcasm that your system can muster). Hiei had always been a secret keeper. He was more of the listening type. Come to think of it, I hardly knew anything about the guy. I had known him for so long, but I only knew the basics about him. Well, not really even that. I didn't know where he lived, didn't know his family, where he got an education was a mystery. Dang, we were practically strangers when it came to how much I knew about his personal life. He knew so much more about me. He knew where I lived, my family, my friends, where I went and are currently going to school at, my birthday, and a ton of other things.

"Hey," I said grabbing the two guy's attention. They almost seemed surprised by my sudden entrance into their "private" conversation. "Don't talk about me like I'm not right here. I know what you guys are talking about. I'm not some idiot who can be talked about right in front of and not notice it. I actually care when someone talks about me," I said sternly as I looked back and forth between the two.

I was slightly happy when Yusuke had a look of embarrassment and guilt on his face. Shuichi, on the other hand, was another story. He was looking at me like he had expected me to just sit and listen to myself be talked about right in front of my face. That jerk was gonna pay. Why I had looked to him for any type of help, I had no clue. If he knew what he was getting into, he would wipe that look off his face before I smacked it right off into the floor. After a moment of us staring at each other, Shuichi broke it off to look at Yusuke. "Let's keep talking about this outside," he suggested as he took a step out the doorway.

"You think I am going to let you talk about me like that?!" I almost yelled as I looked at the nurse.

"Well, we aren't necessarily going to talk about _you_. We are going to talk about a friend who is, let's say, acquainted with you. So, in technical terms, we are not talking directly about you," he smirked an evil grin that reminded me of a fox that had eaten all the eggs and gotten away scotch free. Now I had liable reasons to call him a jerk, which is if I didn't before.

"Yeah," Yusuke almost mumbled as he got off the bed and followed the nurse out of the room. When I saw that they were completely gone, I fell back onto my bed in defeat. I could have handled that situation _so _much better but I hadn't. If we were keeping score, the nurse would definitely be winning. No doubt about it. Grumbling, I stared up at the ceiling. All of this drama over a stupid remote wasn't worth it. Looking to my left, I saw the wretched thing laying there mocking me. It knew what it had done. It knew that it had caused me trouble. Probably learned how to be a jerk from the nurse. Getting tired of wearing clothes, I decided that it might be a good idea to change into my pajamas when the coast was clear.

Making my way over to the small dresser, I wondered what Yusuke had managed to scrounge together as a set of pajamas. I highly doubted that they would match. If the clothes did, if I wasn't currently slightly angry with him, I would give him a huge hug as a reward in learning how to match his colors correctly. Digging through my gum bag, which Yusuke had all so intelligently picked to throw my things in, I was happy to see that he had tried. There was a thin pair of running shorts and an old hoody that were clearly intended to be the pajamas that he had packed for me. I smiled slightly at the familiar sight of the _SID_ [3] hoody that I had acquired at one of their concerts. The black jacket had been somewhat of a lucky item. Typically the night before races I would wear it and sleep in it. If I didn't, the magic didn't happen. That was just the way it is. I was too superstitious about the occurrences to not wear it the night before.

Seeing the door was shut, I started to quickly change into the more comfortable clothes. Pulling my shirt over my head, I looked down to examine the scar that the surgery had left on my abdomen. The absorbable stitches had started to disintegrate in my skin. The nurse had told me that they had also used absorbable stitches on me internally. Why they hadn't used non-absorbable ones on the outside, I had no clue. The one thing I knew was that the stitches could take from 7 days to 8 weeks to dissolve into my skin. From what I had understood, the stitches were broken down by natural body processes that would just eat away at the natural materials to make the stitches. Since after the first three days they hadn't gotten inflamed, my body wasn't rejecting them like some people would. Now the stitches were faint after being in for a week. Poking them experimentally, I noticed that they didn't hurt as much as they used to. I smiled when I realized that they may be dissolved all the way soon. It would be good to be able to bend freely again.

Pulling the jacket over my head, I made sure not to get the fluffy material on the inside stuck to the sutures. It would suck if I ripped them and had to get the whole process done again. The wound in my side had almost healed all the way, but the stitches still needed to stay in for a while longer so that the skin would definitely be closed and not liable to open. Pulling the jean shorts down over my legs, I started to pull the other soft, running shorts on. Noticing a dark brown stain on the material, I inspected it closer. Once I saw the familiar spot, I remember what it was. After falling on day, Haku had come to me for a bandage, which I always carried when we practice ran. When I had cleaned the dirt out of his knee, I had carelessly wiped my bloody hands on my shorts—pure white shorts with no stains to their name to be exact. When I had gotten home, I finally realized how stupid I had been to not wipe the blood on the grass near us. Now, the stain was just a memory.

Getting comfortable in the new clothes, I felt my eyes start to sag. Even though I had been lying down all week, I was sleepy. I had come to find out in the past that lying in bed all day made me sleepier than getting up and doing something with my time. It probably was just pure laziness. Not questioning my bodies demand for sleep, I fell onto the bed and tried to get comfortable. Moving around for a moment, I finally found the only way I could sleep—laying on my left side with my arm under my pillow. Curling my legs up to my body, I sigh contently. Closing my eyes, I started to let my brain run free. The only time my brain seemed to work was when I was about to sleep or right when I needed to it stop working. Makes perfect sense, don't you think?

After lying down for a while, I realized that I wasn't getting much done. Even though I was tired, I just couldn't get my brain to calm down. The dang thing just wanted to have a party at the wrong time. Sitting up with a groan, I wondered what I could do. The television as definitely out of the draw. I was not going to have a repeat of that situation twice in one day. I didn't even want to have it twice in a lifetime. Thinking about the things that Yusuke had brought me, I remembered that he had thought to bring my laptop. Leaning out of bed far enough to reach the small bag near the side, I latched one hand under the strap. Yanking it over in one swift motion, I smiled at my small accomplishment. Sitting the black bag onto my lap, I started to dig through its contents. Just as I suspected, my laptop was in the bottom with its cord neatly wrapped up beside of it. Not caring for the cord since I was only planning on being on the computer for a short amount of time, I pulled out the laptop and laid the bag in the floor. I really didn't feel like getting up to put it back on the dresser.

Opening the lid, I turned on the power button to make the small computer whir to life. Typing in my password quickly—hey, I had brothers and other people who would like to snoop into my personal business even though I wasn't hiding anything inappropriate—I watched the familiar screensaver show behind all of the icons. The picture was of the whole track team on a warm, sunny day back in May of last year. We had all just got done with a race when my mother had snapped a picture of us all as when were huddled in a circle discussing how we had done on the long trek to the finish line. Looking at it for but a moment, I opened the bar so I could log onto the hospital's wireless internet. Quickly finding the source, I connected it to my computer so I could do what I wished on the internet. Opening the internet browser, I went to go check my email. It wasn't like anyone emailed me anyways. All I usually had were coupons from restaurants I want to frequently and announcements from story that I might tend to shop at. As I thought, I only had three. One from a bookstore urging me to buy the new release an author had just published; the second was a coupon from an Italian restaurant about half a block down the road from my house saying that I could get a meal half off when I bought a second meal with a drink; the third, what for it, was a sale going on at one of those shops that you just walked in so you could look at the clothes because they were too expensive for you but, as the coupon stated, now I could get 35% off of any purchase. Only saving the coupon for the Italian place, I deleted the rest. For a moment, I thought about looking on the blog that Kin kept up about his college life in Hokkaido now. He had always been one for cold weather, Hiro and I on the other hand had always been warm kids.

After staring at the screen for a moment and my finger tapping on the keys but not fully pressing them down to type, I realized that I really didn't want to. I was a little sleepier so maybe sleep would decide to come to me sooner than it had before. Shutting down the computer, I carefully laid it on the dresser beside me even though that meant that I had to brave my feet against the cold floor. When it had sent a shiver up my spine, I realized that I should have put on the slippers at the side of my bed. Instead of doing what would have been smarter, I just done the quickest way of getting it done. When I had my laptop safely tucked back into my black, Nike bag with its cord along with it, I walked back over to the bed. I couldn't believe that even the small trek to the bed made my legs hurt a bit. Well, that would be great for when I tried to start back track, which was if I started it back. Pushing the negative thoughts out of my head, I laid back into the bed and tried to get comfortable again for the nth time of the evening. It was crazy how tired I had been lately. Not even caring to roll onto my left side, I stayed on my back and let my head fall against the pillow. Shutting my eyes, I tried to let sleep claim me. Once or twice the black would almost pull me in but I would be jostled awake by the sound of a cart being pushed against the floor, a baby letting out a wail, an old man demanding that the nurse was trying to make him feel worse and not better. One time I swore I heard something very much like some of the shows on the television going on in the room beside of me. After about half an hour, I knew sleep wasn't going to come. Well, at least I could close my eyes and let them rest a bit. They were slightly dry and tired from looking at the white lights of the hospital all day and then the bright screen of my laptop there for a while.

As I lay in the hospital bed with my eyes shut as I thought of what had happened earlier again. The subject just seemed to come into my head a lot. I knew Haku was right. Yet, for some reason, I knew I couldn't accept it. I knew that he didn't mean to give up forever. He meant to take a break; even if that meant for a month, four months, or even the rest of the year. He wasn't trying to tell me to give up on my passion; he was telling me to give myself some time to heal. I needed to let my body get back into good shape before I went and tried anything stupid. Kind of like the stunt I had just pulled. Well, I would admit that I had been childish. When I heard my door open rather quickly, I thought it was Hiei. Maybe he was coming back to, well, it was Hiei. He could be coming back for anything. I never really knew what he was going to do anymore. Had I really ever known what he was going to do? Now that I thought about it, I had only been able to guess in the past. He was too inconsistent to keep up with.

"Where is he?!" I heard a familiar voice growl from the door of my room. Opening my eyes quickly, I was surprised to see Genkai there. What was she doing here? I thought she only stayed up in her temple. I had never seen her outside of there. "I know that he was here earlier," she growled. She was definitely mad about something. I could only feel sorry for the person she was pissed at. "First, he pissed Yukina off, then, he has enough balls to go and burn down half of my friggin temple!" she growled. Yukina. The name hit me like a knife. I remembered that name all too well. How did Genkai know Yukina, whoever she was?

"Akako," she turned to me. I could practically see the rage on her face. I take that back, I could see it. I'd never seen Genkai that angry before. "Who do you think I am talking about?!" she practically growled as she got closer to my bed. Even though she was of short height—shorter than me and Hiei— the elderly woman scared the crap out of me. Something about the way she carried herself portrayed power and confidence. "I'm talking about the little idiot Hiei. The idiot who is gonna die, if he already isn't dead by the way he left my temple," she spat in anger. "If I find that little kōrime, I will make him think Shigure had done something bad to him in Mukuro's kingdom. She won't be here to sew him back up like a little doll like last time," she continued to rant. Mukuro, there the name was again. How did Genkai know all these people? She was a simple old lady who lived her days up in a temple and nothing more. Sometimes Haku would go visit her. Something about her being a friend who was helping him with something or another. I really had no clue. I had just become accustomed to the delicious tea she served and the delightful scenery at her mountain temple.

After getting past the initial shock of her mentioning the names of the two people that I knew Hiei knew, I realized what she had said. _"If he already isn't dead." _It felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs. It must be bad at the temple. She had said that half of it had been burned down, hadn't she? He could be burning in a building for all I knew. My brain ran wild with possibilities. At the same time, some tiny part of my brain just knew that he was fine but the larger part just wouldn't listen to it. It had to override the smart part of me that was staying sane. That was when the thoughts of what if's and why started to enter my brain again.

Hiei could be hurt out there and I was just sitting here. Turning to Genkai, I felt my sanity slipping. The last time I had seen Hiei hurt, it had been really bad—so bad that he had passed out right there. I knew that he didn't like to go look for help when he was hurt. What if he was hurt to where he couldn't get help? "Oh my gosh," I breathed as I looked at the elderly lady who's face I no longer saw as ugly but as a face worn by time and carried wisdom that was priceless. "Genkai, it's my fault he done whatever he done. I—I made him mad," I stumbled over my words. "Genkai," I said tears threating to come to the surface for the thoughts of what could have happened to my friend. "Make sure he is okay," I said as I continued to look into her what seemed to be all-knowing eyes. "Make sure he doesn't hate me," I said.

A smirk came over Genkai's face. "Oh, he is far from hating you, sweetheart. Trust me on that one," she said with that smirk still in place.

**[1] I was referring to the different planes of the Hindu Heaven. There are like four and I really don't feel like looking them up right now.**

**[2] If you didn't notice the pun on the series name, I'm sorry but it was right there. Yes, I made it a complete and utter joke to have an exorcism show in this story name Ghost Fighter. I thought it would be a pretty funny joke to keep going throughout the story. Just a little comic relief for you guys.**

**[3] **_**SID **_**is a popular rock/alternative band in Japan. They have done many opening titles for various anime out there. I know for a fact that they have done the opening to **_**Black Butler.**_

**Umh, I looked back and tried to see what day it was in here, but I totally forgot. I think that it is somewhere around Friday for this chapter and the last. Track races usually take place on Fridays after school, so I think I got the day right. If not, don't kill me. I just couldn't remember. I really need to start writing down the week day at the end of the chapter so I can look back at it when I start the new one… I might start doing that.**

** Well, when I was finishing up this chapter, a thought popped into my head. For some reason, I wanted the weird doctor and nurse that Hiei walked in on to come back into play. Yeah, to answer your question that I assume you are thinking right about now, yes that was them in the room beside Akako. Well, at least they had the decency to find a room. Also whilst writing this chapter, I was listening to some of the music I had on my computer. When the song "Snow White Queen" by **_**Evanescence **_**came on, my mother just happened to hear it. Like the lady she is, and the lady that I am definitely not, she walks in and goes, "Hon, don't you think that song is a little weird?" After I had asked her why, she replied with, "She sounds like a possessive, lesbian woman… That's kind of weird." The sentence that I was typing ended up stopping short as I thought about what she had said. After I had processed it, I think I had a spaz attack. I had started to dig through all of my things to find the case so I could see what the lyrics to the song were. True enough that was exactly what the song sounded like. I thought about telling her that it was just Yuri and to chill… Then I realized that my mother would be the one to Google it and figure out what Yuri meant.**

** I was pretty happy with the length of this chapter. It turned out to be the longest. The 5****th**** chapter comes in next to this chapter. Well, I'm just happy that the chapters are getting longer. That means more of this story for you guys! **

_**THIS IS ACTUALLY RELEVANT TO THE STORY. IF YOU SKIPPED THE REST OF MY RANT, PLEASE READ THIS!**_

**Okay, now that I have your attention, I would like to ask a question. Do any of you have any ideas for the names of Akako's parents? I sure don't, and I thought you guys might want to pick it. I have no preferences as long as it is Japanese and is pretty. Other than that, shot them at me. I really need them for the next chapter. Do you guys think this chapter turned out good? I think I kind of lost Akako there at the end. Well, you will kind of figure out throughout the story that during some situations, her brain kind of starts intertwining logic and irrelevant things that she shouldn't even consider at that moment. With that, SAYONARA 'TIL NEXT TIME! Love, A Happy Akara Kaiyo Suzuki**


	8. In Which Hiei Makes a Hard Decision

**In Which Hiei Makes a Hard Decision**

**DemonMiko Jenna: I know about the grammar mistakes. I always have them. You know me well and I know your writing well. I have grammar checked it enough… Nah, I love you, girl, and you know it! Thanks for telling me, girl. I just like to know. Well, Hiei is kind of out for the count right about now. Maybe he will come back in this chapter. Hehe.**

**Lestatsgirl15: Thanks for the encouragement. It is always nice to have someone telling you to keep writing. I'm sorry my updates take so long. I just have other things in my schedule sometimes. Well, I hope you still continue reading!**

**RoseThorn: Yeah. I see what you are saying about the name. Any who back to what I was going to say, the last chapter kind of set the whole story into motion. Okay, Genkai didn't go to the hospital because she necessarily thought Hiei would be checked into it, she went because she figured out Akako was there. Genkai and Yukina, in my eyes, would talk quite frequently. First, I think Yukina did figure out the gist of what Hiei is occupied about then Genkai kind of filled in the rest. I mean, Genkai isn't an idiot. Second, why is everyone assuming that Hiei up and left? Maybe I am going to be a horrid person and make some more things fall into play; which I shall. Gods, I really have fun with this. Yes, Yusuke and Kurama are getting a little lazy. Well, Yusuke is. Kurama is just trying to scare her away from Hiei. He does not, in any way, like Akako. Just something about her I guess. Probably makes him feel uneasy. Akako does kind of connect. She just has to get more dots to connect. Thank you for reading so much. You always leave the best comments. Please continue to support me!**

**Guest2: Thank you so much for the names! They are perfect. I hope you continue to read! Is this RoseThorn…? Or is this someone else that commented under guest? Ah, what does it matter? Thanks you so much!**

**Purple Dragon Ranger: Thank you for the encouragement. I love it when people comment on my story. Any comment is encouragement for me! Hope to see you again in my review box!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. That honor goes to the awesome man Yoshihiro Togashi and other companies like Fuji TV, Pierrot, FUNimation, and Shuiesha.**

Hiei's P.O.V.

It was like floating in a complete world of darkness. I had been in this world of sorts before. Whenever I used the Dragon during the Dark Tournament and I had ended up going into hibernation, this was exactly what it had been like. If someone were to ask me if there were different shades of pure darkness, I would answer yes after being in this realm. It was almost like the darkness would grow and revolve around me. Whispers of hate and bloodlust surrounded and filled my skull. They didn't bother me. Thoughts of such manners were constantly flowing through my brains anyways. Why would some more hurt me? At times, I would see what I would describe as a tear in the darkness. It would go from a dark, multidimensional black to a lighter, less deep gray. The only explanation I had for it was my conscious trying to pull myself back into reality. I knew it would be a while. I could still feel the weakness of my body from the attack it had unwillingly unleashed upon the temple. I was quite content floating in the darkness. It was warm to a certain extent. Almost like lying in a perfectly warm bath or something of that manner. It was the temperature that made you wonder what was water and what was your body. It was hard for me to separate my own body from the surrounding darkness that had engulfed me.

As I hovered in what seemed to be an endless sea of darkness, I wondered what had happened to Yukina. In this bleak place, I could sometimes recall what had happened. Sometimes I could even think coherently. It depended on the situation. Most of the time I could let my mind wander and think properly when I had regained a certain amount of energy. When I did, I knew that I would be able to get out of the black sea soon. The only thing I could hope for was that she had somehow managed to get out of the temple in time to get away from the Dragon. That was if the Dragon hadn't seen her as a possible meal when it noticed her energy in the temple. Gods, this was just great. Right as I was damning my own existence to Hell for being a rather large idiot, the Jagan found it a great time to shove its way into my brain uninvited. I was quite pissed at it recently. I thought after such a long time that I would have the damn thing in control. Apparently I was wrong.

The Jagan let the sensation of want flood through my body. I knew what it was trying to do. The Jagan had done this before. Once in the Makai when I went without being "active" for a quite long period of time, the Jagan had done the same thing. Only them it was on a less intense of a level. It was almost like the Jagan wanted the sex more than I did. The feeling flooded me once again. When it managed to start a collection of images to roll through my brain, I knew exactly what it wanted me to do. The things it was putting into my brain was enough evidence. The Jagan wanted me to have sex with Akako, forced or not, it was going to make sure it happened. I almost didn't want to deny it. The way the thought of taking her made me feel was enough for me to want to go to her as soon as I woke from this damned sea of darkness. Yes it was comforting at times, but when the Jagan was bombarding me with the images it was at the moment, it only made the matter worse. It felt less like an endless amount of darkness and more like a dark room that kept getting smaller and smaller. Right as I thought I couldn't take any more torment from the implanted eye in my head, which I slightly regretted getting at the moment, I felt the familiar tug of reality. It was always like this when I woke up from one of my hibernations.

As I was pulled back to reality, I saw the dark world around me become a lesser shade of black and start to morph into a less unrealistic form of unconsciousness. When I was being pulled back into the reality of the conscious world it was almost like taking off a second skin. At the same time, it was like leaving a warm, cozy hot springs to a cold, unwelcoming mountain spring.I almost gasped when the force of reality hit me. It was always like this. Being able to feel your body against an actual surface was always odd at first. My head was fuzzed as I laid on what I assumed to be a western style bed. For a moment, I slightly wondered who had moved me. At the moment, I really didn't give shit. Cracking open my eyes, I saw that, thankfully, the wretched lights in the room were off. My eyes almost had an itching sensation as I blinked. Hissing at the feeling, I went to rub them with my right arm. When my right arm got close enough to my nose, I smelt the familiar smell of chard flesh. After I had used the Dragon a few times, the smell no longer smelt odd but somewhat comforting in an odd way. The smell of the copper and iron of my blood also mingled with my burnt flesh. Hn, whoever the hell who had dragged me away hadn't taken the time to clean my arm off. I didn't want the asshole to touch it anyways.

Sitting up rather quickly for what had happened, I wondered where the hell I actually was. The room was rather normal. There was a dresser, a closet, a bookshelf that had books that looked like something a middle-aged human male would read or the Fox, a small, wooden desk, and the bed that I was laying on. There wasn't much that could help me try to figure out the age of the person who had got me out of the way at Genkai's; which, depending on the outcome of the Dragon's wrath, I wondered if I would have rather let them leave me. When something moved slightly down at my feet, I immediately looked that way. I growled angrily at what I saw.

The boy was looking at me with a rather evil look of contempt on his face. Oh, how I wanted to punch the shit out of that little smirk. His hair fell over part of his face and looked like it had just recently been washed. He had on a shirt I had seen many a time on Akako—green with her school's name on it with the number 101 on the sleeves and largely on the back. I could see the glint of his earrings behind his hair. Something was still off with those things. I knew the kid was a psychic; the scene at the hospital was enough to prove that. He didn't smell of demon. I wondered how long he had been using his psychic powers and how in tuned with them he was. Maybe he wasn't as powerful as he put on. Hn, I really just wanted to get the hell out of here. "So," he said with his cocky grin still plastered on his face, "you finally woke up…took you damn long enough."

"Where the hell am I?" I growled to the child. He better let me the hell out of here, or I was really going to kill him. At this point, I didn't care that Akako was friends with the little asshole. Well, she was friends with him and he wanted her as something more, which I wasn't going to let happen.

"No need to use such foul language," the boy said with a tilt of his head. When he went to cross his arms over his chest, I noticed that both of them had tattoo sleeves. The blue, black, and red marks were clearly that of a language that I didn't know. They wrapped around his arms in intricate swirls and dips that indicated stories unheard of by my ears. They might not actually be considered sleeves because they ended by going down his hands and wrapping around his knuckles. "Oh, I see that you are interested in my seals. I thought you would be," he said with a smirk. "Well, I don't know if I'll tell you about them, not yet anyways," he continued with a lazy shrug. This boy's attitude was getting to me. He was too prideful for my taste. "Genkai always described you as a stubborn jackass. I guess she was right," he said as he turned his chair on its swivel legs so that he faced away from me.

Getting out of the bed quickly and silently, I grabbed the unsuspecting boy by the hair. When I went to pull him to me so I could get better access to his face that was waiting to get punched, I was surprised when he disintegrated. He didn't disappear, he disintegrated. His body fell like ash through my scarred, calloused hands. An all too familiar presence made itself known behind me as soon as the body disintegrated in my hands. Before I could even turn around, I felt him ahead of me. His aura was filling the room at a rate I had never seen before. Turning in a quick circle, I saw that there was multiple version of him surrounding me. "So," they all echoed together, "a little unexpected. Don't worry, that only adds to the fun." The annoying smirk that lit on all of their faces made me want to annihilate every single one of them. Without moving his foot even a centimeter, they started to travel around in a circle at an alarming rate. They all spun faster and faster until there was just a blob of green and black from their outfit. I was surprised when they all morphed into one being. "You know," the single figure said as it walked towards me. I could feel the different spirits swirling around the room and orbiting one figure in particular. The kid. So, he did really control spirits. What was thing he just pulled then? That didn't involve damn spirits, or did it? "I really wonder what she sees in you." Immediately, I knew who he was talking about. How could I not? I was surprised when his face fell into that of his appropriate age. He looked vulnerable and weak, just what I needed.

Being in front of him instantly, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Pushing him up against the wall, I stared into his brown eyes. They were a typical human color. Brown with not much more. They weren't even a unique color of brown. They were… common. That must be part of the façade. Look common, weak, and be unnoticed. He was blending into the humans to be as closely acquainted with them as possible. He didn't want to be known about. That was understandable considering that he was a psychic in the Ningenkai where most ningens would call him a lunatic and throw him in some prison—at the moment, that idea didn't seem that bad. Maybe then I wouldn't have to look at his damn face. "Go ahead," he said quietly as he looked at me with those damn eyes. "If you do kill me, it wouldn't bother me. It's not like I have anything to live for anyways," he shrugged as much as my hold would allow.

"Coward," I growled back at him. Slamming him into the wall once again, I heard something fall on the other side of the door. "Giving up so easily? You are a waste of flesh," I growled closely in his face. When the boy froze, I focused to see what had him agitated. I knew it wasn't me because he was looking at the door. The sound of small, child-like feet flowed through the door to my ears. The door creaked open slowly to reveal a small child's face.

"Brother?" a soft voice asked through the crack. Both of our heads whipped around to look at the little ningen girl at the door. Her small, rounded face showed naivety and pureness. "Brother, what are you doing? Who is that?" she asked as she took another step into the room. Her large, chocolate colored eyes got even larger as she looked at us.

"Juri," the boy said as he looked at her. His eyes pleaded with her to go.

"I may be a demon," I whispered loud enough for him to here, "but I am not as immoral as to kill a defenseless child." Tightening my grip on his collar, I ground his back further against the wall. I could only think about the heartless bitch that had thrown me off of that cliff. I was _never _going to be like I had any "honor codes" as the Idiot called them, which I didn't, that would be the one I would follow. If I was like her, I might as well go up to Genkai's, once I got out of this place that is, and slit Yukina's throat with my sword, letting her blood taint my hands. His eyes gave me silent thanks as he looked at the young ningen.

"Juri, leave," he said sternly. With a small nod of her head, the little girl vanished from the door. From the wave of scent that followed in her path, I knew that she was the younger sibling of the boy. There was hardly the scent of the parents on her. He must take care of her often. Hn, at least he had some type of morals.

"Nothing to live for, you say?" I asked him as I watched the little girl go in a swirl of her skirt. "So, you're a coward and a liar. Makes sense," I glared.

"I guess you're right," he smiled a lopsided grin. It reminded me of the detective. "I have Juri and Kohana. I don't know how I would count Akako…" he said with a troubled look in his eyes. "I know for one thing that you should leave her alone. Demon scum," he glared with venom behind his eyes. The childish aura in his eyes vanished to show the eyes of a killer—eyes of someone who had killed for a living. I had seen those eyes on many—the detective, the Fox, Genkai. They all had that look in their eyes—the look of someone who had seen too much before their time. Well, the old psychic might be different story; yet, I knew that she had seen much in her younger days when Toguro was on her "team" or whatever she wanted to call it. I didn't care what she wanted to call it. All I know is that there was _something _going on there. Hn, maybe he wasn't as weak as I thought. Around me, I could feel the aura of the spirits that he was calling forth. When I looked at the boy again, I saw his smirk. Gods, did he have personality issues? Multiple personalities might be it, or was it just his façade to society?

Letting my fist fly, I nailed the kid right in the face. I saw the blood start to trickle down his lip when it cracked. I was fascinated by the color. It was red; yet, at the same time it was blue and black. There was a swirling to it. The smell was different than anything I had ever smelt before. It had the usual sweet, pungent smell of blood plus, it had a sharp, almost sour kick to it. "Ah, you like the smell?" the psychic asked as he watched me watch him. It was weird to see the blue-black-red blood drip down his chin and swirl with the colors. They didn't blend and make a weird brown; no, they stayed separated and swirled around each other like oil and water. It was almost like energy. For some reason, the way the blue, black, and red swirled reminded me of something. The colors orange and black kept coming to my head for an odd reason. Shaking my head and growling, I refocused on the current situation. I had no time to get caught up in something that might let the psychic slip from my fingers.

"I'm the one asking the questions," I growled as I continued to watch the blood drip from his lip. The amount of blood flowing from the wound was astounding for that of a human body. He must have more training than I thought. All the while, I could still feel the spirits swirling around me. I could smell the psychic getting slightly agitated at my words. I wasn't surprised when the spirits started to take up the same emotion. So, they fed off of his emotions. That could be useful. They were swirling in odd patterns now that his heartbeat was getting faster. Hn, good. I was scaring the kid.

"If you're asking the questions, get to the asking. I'm getting blood on my track shirt and I don't think Akako would like that. Well, maybe she could just wash it for me while I'm over at her house," he grinned evilly. Pulling him back, I slammed him against the wall hard again. The rattling of items falling from the walls echoed through the house once again.

"Shut up," I growled. I couldn't help but to feel anger rise in me at the thought of this kid being around Akako. If anyone was going to be around her, it would be me. The Jagan seemed to agree with me when the psychic said that. There was an immediate reaction made the small amount of ki I had spike enormously. Feeling the violent raise in my energy, the psychic cringed slightly in my hands. Wrapping my hand tighter in the front of his shirt, I felt his warm, discolored blood slide over my fingers as my hands got in its past of descent. It was warm, but it was not as warm as a human's blood should be. Where the blood flowed, it left stains on my hands as if it was trying to say that yes, it had been on my hands. "You're going to listen to me and answer the questions I ask," I stated with no room for argument.

"Why should I?" he asked with that familiar smirk. Once again, he disintegrated in my hands and pooled onto the floor. A feral growl escaped from between my teeth as I felt for his presence. I spun around when his aura was suddenly behind me. I was surprised to see the wisp of spirit floating in the air. "Got 'cha," his voice said from behind me. Awaiting a punch or some type of physical attack, I was surprised when I heard the boy sigh. The sound of the door opening reached my ears once again. Turning around quickly to see if it was the same child once again, I wondered why the psychic was standing beside it with the door held open as wide as it would go. The psychic had a speed that could almost rival mine with his disintegration trick. "You can go," the soft voice drifted to me. I didn't understand him at all. Trying to enter his mind, I was not surprised in the least when I heard the chuckling from inside his head. _"You're not going to get in here just yet," _it echoed with the same softness to it. "You have no clue how much I wish I could really hurt you, but I'm not going to. Not because it is against my morals—trust me, I have killed many demons in my time—I just couldn't do that to Akako. Hiei," he said. I was taken back at his use of my name. "I hope you know what a lucky bastard you are that she loves you as much as she does. She's always talking about you. It's like you are the only thing on her brain. If I ever, _ever _find out that you've hurt her, I won't hesitate to kill you," he said with the last part gaining that hard edge to it once again. "I hate to say it, but I think we will probably have to deal with each other much more in the future. That is, if I don't get to kill you first."

Taking one step forward, I kept cautious eyes on the psychic. His words kept rolling through my head. Akako talked about me to that ningen track team of hers? I wondered slightly what she said about me exactly. He had said that she loved me. I had heard the Fox talk about such an emotion before. Something about it being what the ningens said when they were attracted to one another, or the parent to a child. What did that mean that Akako felt for me? The Jagan immediately flared at the thought. "That is a pretty interesting eye that you have there. A Jagan is what it is called, I believe? I think it's on the fritz. You might want to go get that checked on," he supplied with a tilt of his head. I couldn't help but to let out a snort. I knew the kid was right, but that didn't mean I was going to accept it. Walking past him, I was ready to bolt and find my way out of the damned confinement when I felt his hand land on my shoulder.

"Wait," he said with a slight bit of urgency in his voice. Turning around, looked at the taller figure. "You didn't hurt her," he said. He must have realized that I was confused when he continued. "The girl at the temple with red eyes. She was fine," he explained. His voice turned down to a whisper, but I had no problem hearing what he said as he continued talking. "I just thought you might want to know. I hope your arm is okay. I didn't want to touch it and hurt you. I know how important you are to Akako," he said. When he looked at me, something in his eyes told me that he was telling the truth. Clenching my fist, I felt the chard flesh flake off and drift to the floor. The smell of copper filled the air once again as the newly opened wounds seeped pure red blood. As I continued to walk away from him and down the hallway that I hoped led to an escape route, I wondered about the psychic's drastic changes in attitude. I could only assume that it had to do with his odd, psychic powers. Seeing a window, I smirked at my new found escape plan. Placing my hands on the sill, I found that it had been painted shut. Hn, probably due to the child in the house. Running a hot hand across the paint, it quickly melted. The light, blue paint dripped into a pool on the perfect wooden floors. I couldn't help but to smirk at the mess I had made. I hoped he had to clean the whole damn thing up by himself.

Pushing the newly opened window up as far as it would go, I felt the wind blow in my face. The smell of ningens was all over the place. So, I was in a ningen city. Damn, I was hoping that I would be somewhere closer to the country. I had no desire to have to breathe in ningen stench all day. With a disgruntled sigh, I made my way out of the window anyways. I had an even less desire to stay in this shitty house with that psychic. Jumping up on the sill, I looked out to see if I could recognize where I was. Noticing that I was in the same neighborhood that Akako's house was in, I knew how to navigate the area. Stepping off the windowsill, I easily landed on the ground.

The sun was going lower in the horizon. Hn, it was getting late. I would usually like the night, but in the ningen city I knew it would be no different from the day. Idiotic ningens would roam the streets with alcohol pumping through their veins, and stumbled along the sidewalks incoherent to their surroundings. It was disgusting what they done to their bodies. They should not pollute them with such filth. All it done was shorten their already puny life span—not that that was a problem for me. Speeding through the ningen city, the surrounding structures blurred at my speed. I could tell that I was going slower than usual. Damn Jagan. If it weren't for the damn thing, I wouldn't be having all these problems.

Having my destination in mind, I knew it wouldn't take me long to get there. Pushing myself faster, I tried to see how much I could push my body before it refused to go any further. I was running so fast it was hard to stop when I felt Genkai's presence at the hospital in which Akako was at. What the hell? Why was she there? I would think the old psychic would be looking for me saying something along the lines of, 'If I get my hands on that little idiot, I'll beat the living shit out of him for destroying my damn temple!' Turning towards the hospital, I went as fast as I could towards it.

The Jagan, once again, found it a great time to push itself against me. Images of the monitors in which the Fox had told me showed Akako's ningen heartbeat going flat; her body was failing in convulsions on the bed for an odd reason; blood spewing from her mouth and nose as she tried to breath around her lungs that were filled with blood, and many more. Growling at the Jagan, I ran faster. Approaching the hospital, I slowed down to a 'normal speed.' My head was slightly foggy due to the Jagan and its antics. Jumping up in the tree that was outside of her room's window, I swayed slightly. Grabbing onto the branch quickly, I steadied myself. I really needed to get the shitty eye checked. Damn thing was causing me too many problems.

Looking into the window, I saw that Genkai as talking to Akako. Anger was clearly boiling off of her. Hn, so she did know that I was the one who destroyed her temple. Not really surprising. My ki was probably all over the place when she had come back. Plus, Yukina had been there as a witness to the Dragon.I couldn't help but to listen to what she was saying. Genkai had a slight smirk on her face aside from the anger that was boiling off of her. "Oh, he is far from hating you, sweetheart. Trust me on that one," she said with that smirk still in place. Akako's face looked like she didn't understand what Genkai meant by her words. I was right with her. What did she mean? If she was talking about that damn psychic kid, I would just go and rip his damn throat out now. I shouldn't have missed my chance earlier. Getting onto the window easily, I placed my hands on the bottom. Opening it easily, I made my way into the room almost unnoticed. While Akako still had her head turned looking at Genkai, Genkai was looking at me.

"You," she seethed as she pointed at me with one, wrinkly finger. Akako's head snapped around to look at me. She jumped when she saw me standing with my arms crossed over my chest. Her eyes were red and it looked as if she had been crying. Glaring at the psychic, I wondered if she had upset Akako about something. "You," she growled again. Taking angry steps towards me, she got into my face and poked me in the chest. "Do you even know what the hell you done to my temple?! The whole back in up in fucking flames!" she yelled. Her eyes showed that fire that I had seen in the Dark Tournament when she had regained her old body for a short while. Her will was strong, that was for sure.

"It's not my damn fault," I growled back only quieter.

"It sure as hell was your fault," she countered. I could feel my anger rising. I didn't want to deal with the Hag's angry words. Glancing over at Akako, I saw the confusion plastered on her face. "Hey," Genkai snapped. "You should keep your three eyes looking at me, and not her. I'm the one that is talking to you," she growled the first part quietly so that Akako would not hear the three eyes comment. A feral hiss escaped my lips as I glared at her. "You should have known better than to let out the damn Dragon! Yukina was in the temple, you idiot. Did you ever wonder what could have happened to her? Huh, did you ever think about that?!" she said as she got louder throughout her words.

"What if it wasn't my fucking fault? Did _you _ever think about _that_?!" I growled right in her face. I could feel my ki starting to get riled up. From what I could tell of the aura of the psychic, she wasn't too happy either. Glancing down at my hand quickly, her eyes flickered for a mere moment at the look of the scalded skin that was flaking off and falling to the floor as I clenched my hands near my sides. On my left hand, the odd blue-black-red blood stained my fingers in an almost artful fashion. I could still smell the younger psychic on me due to the blood. Her eyes told me that she recognized the odd substance that now colored my hands.

"Then why the hell did it happen?!" she asked as she looked at me. I was about to reply with an equally angry comment when the sound of running step echoed through the hallway outside of the room. I could tell that they were coming fast. When the door was thrown open, I saw the almost frantic face of the Fox.

"What's happening in here?" he asked as he looked at the two of us. I could tell that he had come when he had felt our rising energy and most likely heard our angry words with his sensitive hearing. Stepping further into the room, he looked at us more closely. His nose crinkled up when he got close to me. Assessing my hands, I could tell that he was wondering what the hell had happened to me. His eyes stayed on the psychic's blood for a much longer time than they stayed on my right hand that the Dragon had ripped out of. He knew all too well about the state of my arm when the Dragon and I disagreed. "Hiei," he groaned as he looked at the pool of blood that was gathering on the floor from my hand.

Following the Fox's eyes, Akako looked to see what he had groaned about. She gasped when she say the rapidly growing pool. My hand was shaking as I clenched and unclenched it angrily. I could feel my hot blood running from wounds that had opened due to my angry antics. Walking up to me with his usual, long strides, Kurama grabbed my upper arm so that he could look at it closer. "I can't believe you haven't even wrapped this yet. Do you know how many infectious diseases could get in this? Plus, you are in a hospital. That only makes the fact of the matter worse," he mumbled as he turned my hand over and over to look at all the different wounds that were seeping blood rather quickly. The Fox knew that I would bleed more since I was a demon—being a demon in his own nature, how would he not know—but Akako didn't know as much. To her, it probably looked like I was bleeding to death.

Dropping my arm, Kurama walked over to a small cabinet that was placed on the wall. Swinging her legs over her bed, Akako stood up and walked over to me. Her eyes were completely focused on my arm that was bleeding. Her hand reached out like she wanted to touch it; yet, she kept her hand from touching me in any way. I could see the worry in her eyes at the scalded flesh that engulfed my right arm. Having a few things in his arms, the Fox drug a small, rolling table with him. Grumbling all the while, he laid the items down on the cart and grabbed my arm rather angrily. I couldn't help but to smirk at his disgruntled actions. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he mumbled quietly.

Rolling the table in front of me, he held my arm over what looked to be a basin. "Hold it still," he commanded as he let my arm hover so that he could reach one of the many bottles on the cart. Grabbing a bottle with some type of clear liquid in it, he uncapped it. With no warning, he started to pour the liquid over my arm. The liquid bubbled on the wounds, and the blood made it a light pink color. After pouring almost the whole bottle on my arm, he grabbed a second one and started the same process. This liquid did not bubble; it simply washed over my arm with the smell of antiseptic burning my nose. Joining the first liquid in the basin, it all bubbled with that light pink color and smelt slightly of my blood.

The second liquid striped the charred skin off of my practically roasted arm in long strips. I had no clue what the liquid was. All I knew was that if the Fox trusted it enough to poor it on my wounds, it should be fine; unless he wanted to kill me that is. Emptying the whole bottle on my arm, he had a scowl on his face as he looked at my now liquid drenched arm. I could already tell that my demon blood was healing the wounds. Some of them were already light, puffy scars that would shroud my body for an eternity. I heard the startled gasp of Akako. The three heads of Genkai, the Fox, and I turned to look at her. She was backing away quickly and staring at my arm which was rapidly healing itself. I knew some of the wounds had closed before her eyes.

"Hiei…" she trailed off as she continued to stare at my arm. "W-what's happening?" she stammered as she continued to look at my arm. I could feel some of the wounds start to scab over since they were open to the air now that the dead skin was gone. So, the Fox had been trying to let the skin that was trying to heal get the air it needed to heal, made sense.

"Why the hell did you do that right now?!" Genkai yelled at Kurama. "You should have known she would be watching!" she accused as she looked at the now pinched face of the Fox. I could tell that he was trying to find a quick fix to the now major problem that he had made. I couldn't help but to agree with the old psychic. What the hell had he been thinking? He knew that I would have cleaned my wound on my own. Why the hell had he done it right in front of the ningen girl of all people?

I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. I knew he was coming up with a quick solution. That was what he done. He was our strategist. If our "team" did not have him, we would have been really fucked up at one point. At the same time, I wouldn't be in this damn problem if it weren't for the oh-so-legendary Yoko Kurama. Kurama's lips moved as he thought words out in his head. They were moving so fast that I couldn't read them as they moved. Hn, damn Fox.

When a strangled laugh came from the throat of Akako, we all turned to see what was wrong with her. Seeing the look on her face, I felt my eyes grow slightly large. Her eyes were overly large with a glazed look to them. There was something missing in the usual clam, kind yet fierce green eyes. Sanity. "I see what you guys are doing," she laughed out with a slight cackle. I had never heard her speak like this before. She was always so calm and collected, not like the Fox, but she had her head on good shoulders. "You're trying to scare me. Well, that isn't going to work, because I know better," she laughed again. Her eyes were starting to go from glazed over with missing coherency to shining with fear.

Backing up slightly, she looked at us with her head tilted to the side. "Please don't. Y-you know it scares me. I-I hate things like this," she said in a quiet voice. Tears glistened as they fell down her face. "I don't want to be scared of you," she said as she continued to stare at my arm which was rapidly healing.

"Look what you done!" Genkai yelled at the Fox whilst landing a well-aimed blow at his head. "What the hell are we supposed to do with her now? You got an idea, huh?" she continued her angry rant. I almost wanted to smirk at how the Fox was taking the psychic's hits so easily.

"I don't really know," Kurama answered in a completely apathetic voice. Turning to me, he continued with the apathetic gaze. "Isn't this slightly what you wanted? Now you won't have to find a way to tell her," he said. Walking away, he exited the door calmly as if Akako wasn't freaking out behind us. Balling my fist up in anger as I watched him go, I felt more blood seep through the wounds that were almost healed. He would pay for that.

* * *

**~*~Akako's P.O.V. ~*~  
**

Staring at Hiei's hand, I tried to figure out what was going on. That growing fear was starting to show by the tears that I could feel trailing down my face. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down to no avail. Thoughts of ghost, ghouls, and demons all rushed through my head at the same time. I could feel my lungs tightening in fear as I continued to watch the skin rapidly hear on the scalded arm. That wasn't possible. No one should be able to heal that fast. I could see Shuichi's, Genkai's, and Hiei's mouths moving, but I heard no noise. All I could hear was the beating of my own heart in my ears fast and loud. It was almost like it was going to jump out of my chest. It was deafening to all sound around me. When the nurse walked out, I felt my heart beat faster. He left me! How could he leave me? Eyes jerking back down to watch the almost completely healed arm, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Hot tears colored my cheeks as I tried to get ahold of myself. _"It's just Hiei," _my mind screamed at me through the haze of fear. _"He would never hurt you," _it continued as I stared at his arm. I could see the skin go from an oozing wound, to a scabbed over wound, to a light pink scar, and finally to smooth skin with a scar barely visible. The process repeated over and over until his hand was almost completely free of wounds. Tasting blood in my mouth, I ran my tongue over my lip. Just as I had thought, a sharp pain cleared my head for a moment as my tongue touched the deep, tooth shaped wound in my lip.

"H-Hiei?" I managed to choke out as I moved from his arm to his face. As usual, it was set in stone; yet, there was an emotion in his eyes that I had never seen before.

"Well," Genkai said from the corner of the room. "Aren't you going to say anything to her? I mean, you scared the living shit out of her. Might as well tell her now about your "situation","" she said adding quotation marks in the air as she spoke. When Hiei only clenched his fist tighter, I wondered—at the same time I didn't want to know—what the heck was going on. There was something Hiei hadn't told me all these years. Something big.

"Hiei?" I questioned once again finally gaining some of ability to speak. As he looked at me, the same look kept playing over his face. I could tell that he wanted to tell me something but being who he was, he either a) didn't know how, b) didn't want to, or c) thought I would freak out. In this case, I assumed the latter would be the correct reason.

"Hiei," Genkai said in a more controlled voice. "If you aren't going to tell her, that must mean that I'm going to have to and knowing you, you wouldn't like that," she said while crossing her arms over her chest.

"How the hell do you expect me to tell her?!" Hiei growled quietly, but it still had a sting. "You know what she'll do," he continued whilst looking at Genkai.

"Maybe she won't, ever think of that?" Genkai asked, raising her eyebrow. I hardly followed the conversation that went on between the two. The only thing I could hope for was that I would be informed at some point on what the heck they were talking about. I was about to take a step forward when I felt a hand on my back. Jumping at the sudden contact, my eyes grew wide when I saw Haku standing there.

"H-Haku?" I stuttered. How had he gotten in? I had been staring at Hiei and Genkai which were near the door of the room the entire time.

"Well well well, we meet again," Haku said, looking at Hiei. "Surprise!" he exclaimed sarcastically and threw his hands up in the air for a moment. I could hear Hiei's feral growl that I had grown used to over the years sound from across the room. "Seeing that you aren't enough of a man to tell her anything, I guess that leaves it up to me. If you told her about yourself, it would also expose me, so why wait?" he questioned with a lethargic shrug of his shoulders. I couldn't help but to turn and stare at him. Haku had never acted like this before. He was so much more… mature. I had always known him as practically a child. Now, he was acting so much older than he did and even how old he was.

"This is none of your damn business," Hiei growled from across the room.

"Oh, I believe it is," Haku replied with a smirk. "Dear Akako," he said calmly while laying a hand on my shoulder. "Gods, this is slightly harder than I thought," he said turning back to the mere child-like person I had known his as for a moment. "There are such things in this world as demons and psychics that are fictional. The people who have abnormal strength and powers. Those who can control things with their mind, and those who could destroy the world if they desired. I know you have heard of them in stories and on television, but that's not the whole story. Akako, would you believe me if I told you demons and psychics were, in fact, real?" he asked while looking at me with his brown eyes. With every word he said, I swore I could feel my chest getting tighter ever moment.

"Akako," he said quietly. "We are some of those people." As the words slipped from his mouth, it felt like my heart had cut of blood flow to every region of my body. As I continued to stare at him, I could only hope that he was joking as the fear that had always been in my brain started to grow uncontrollably large.

"Tell me you're lying," I said. I could see sadness in forming in my eyes. Haku was one of the people who knew very well of my fear of the supernatural. Since I was a child, the mere thought of it had haunted me. Now someone was telling me that it wasn't a fake, that the supernatural was real. It was almost like my worst nightmare had come to life and swallowed me whole. "Please," I pleaded with him. As Haku closed his eyes and looked away, I knew that he as telling the truth.

**A.N. Well, this chapter took much longer than I thought it would. I'm going to apologize about that right now. We all have a life, even though mine isn't that large, it's there. I finished my final exam for this year on May 22, 2013. Oh gods, I'm so happy that I'm done with those for now. That is, until next year rolls around. **

**I think the reason this chapter had such a delay was due to my exams, I actually studied, and other things that I had to help my family with. My half-brother, who I do not necessarily adore, is 6-years-old, going on 7 and the kid still can't read. Yeah, sad, right? His mom really doesn't care so, being the "great" sister that I am, I tried to help the kid. Didn't end well. Plus, I helped my grandmother with her garden. She's getting up there in age, still beautiful though, and she needed some help. My grandpa has surgery on May 23, which is the day I am writing this. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Ugh. Again, I had many a thing to do before I could even think of working on this. I didn't realize I needed to get onto the ball until it was WAY too late for comfort.**

**I think this chapter went okay.(Lies and starts to bang head on desk angrily. I hated this chapter with a burning passion that fueled my soul.) It was kind of rocky, but I got it done. It probably had to do with being rushed… I really need to pick up the pace. Anyways, back to the important things. A lot about Haku was revealed. Yeah, he is really weird. I bet a lot of you thought he was gonna be the baby of the group. Not really. He's more than that. He's quite powerful. I like a slightly more talkative Hiei. He's not that silent, but he is still violent in what he says and his actions. **

**Ah, the long awaited reveal to Akako. It went bad. Ugh, I tried like three different ways to do it, but none of them worked. Gods, what was wrong with me when I wrote that part of the damn story. If any of you have any ideas of how I could make that any better, please, if any of you love me, tell me. I really want to rewrite that part, but I wanted to get this chapter to you guys. I hope it wasn't that bad… How will she handle Hiei being a demon with her major fear of ghost, ghouls, and all things creepy? I want to know as much as you do. **

**Oh, by the way, I made another story just for shorts and other crack based on this story. It's called Shenanigans of a Bored Author. I hope you all go check it out.**

**With Love and Blood,**

**Akara Kaiyo Suzuki**


	9. In Which Internal Conflict is Evident

**In Which Internal Conflict is Evident**

**Summary: After knowing Hiei for around four years, Akako finally learns the truth. Hiei is a demon. With her fear of most everything paranormal hanging over her head, she has to adjust to the idea that he is, in fact, one of her fears come to life. While trying to cope, she learns that not only is Hiei a demon, but a fellow school mate is a powerful psychic who has been training with non-other than Genkai to hone his skills to perfection. In her journeys with the Yu Yu Hakusho crew, Akako experiences many things that she wishes to have never seen in her life including demons, ghosts, ghouls running rampant, and one red-head demon that she just can't get along with. When Akako and Hiei finally get close, they are only to be separated once again by one of Hiei's many trips to Makai. Will Akako ever be able to forgive him for the way her left her, or will he not even have a chance to see her again? Find out inside! Hiei X OC**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: He he. I'm happy you enjoy the story. Also, welcome to the review reply part of the chapter. I would just send PM's, but I don't always have access to the Internet so it's easier to just type it up with this. Any who, it isn't going to end well but it also helps this story go along. I hope you continue to read!**

**Purple Dragon Ranger: Ah, it is getting interesting. I have finally let this story start to pick up. This is when the story actually starts to pick up the pace. Hope to see you again! **

**shiro: Thank you so much for your support. Every single comment makes me want to update more. I'm happy to know that you look forward to my updates. Hope to see you again!**

**Letstatsgirl15: Well, to Kurama being unorganized, there is a point to it. He really doesn't feel that comfortable, I guess you could say, around Akako. Something about her just throws him off. That will be revealed later. With it coming as a surprise to Akako, I think she really suspected it the whole time, but just didn't want to accept it. I think she just ignored it and let her conscience come up with some excuses so that she wouldn't have to face the music. Thanks for taking the time to comment! See you next time!**

* * *

~*~Akako's P.O.V. ~*~

Pulling my glasses off of my face, I rubbed my eyes. I had been working on make-up work for almost three hours. Closing the laptop that was on my lap, I leaned back against the headboard of my bed. It had been almost a week since the incident at the hospital with Haku and Hiei. I was still trying to accept what I had been told. After being released from the hospital three days after the incident, I had been home and working on getting caught up on my work. I still wasn't due back to school until Monday, but I had a lot of work to do over the weekend.

Hearing the soft meows of Kuro at the door of my room, I got up and went to open the door for him. The day I had been admitted to the hospital, Mom had gone to go get him from the bet. He had been having problems eating, so we had dropped him off. Looking at his sleek, black form now, I couldn't help but to feel sad. I had gotten Kuro around two years ago from the animal shelter that Kazuma had been working at. He was around six years old when I had gotten him. When I had heard that they were going to euthanize him since he was so old, I had jumped at the chance to save the sweet cat.

Picking Kuro up, I heard the cat purring from deep within his chest. Rubbing him on the back, I nuzzled my nose into his fur. He smelt like his shampoo. It wasn't a good smell, but it wasn't unpleasant smell either. It was just a clean smell. There were no fancy perfumes, it was just… fresh. When my stomach rumbled, I decided that it was probably time to go get something to eat. Even though I hadn't been allowed to run, my metabolism was still going at its normal pace. I could only hope it would keep up until I could start to run again. I wasn't allowed to do much physical activity until next week. Without anything to do, I had been doing all my make-up work at a rapid pace. If I could get it done before Monday, I would be able to attend practice to watch the team practice and cheer them on. Hopefully, I could sneak and do a little bit of running. At least, I could jog around the track a few times. If I could get in a little work, it wouldn't be as hard to start back running again. After missing the race last week and the one tonight, I knew I was falling behind. There were only a few more races of the season, and I planned to be at them.

Walking out of my room towards the kitchen, I continued to hold Kuro in my grasps. Since he seemed content to be held like the big baby he was, I indulged him. When I got into the kitchen, I put Kuro onto one of my shoulders like a baby so that I could thoroughly dig in the fridge. With a lethargic meow from Kuro, I stuck my head in to see the wonders of the fridge. Hoping that there was some type of left-overs from the night before when Mother had been home to cook, I looked for a saran wrapped dish of sorts. Squinting, I tried to get a better look at the rather blurred shapes in front of me. Right as I went to reach for what looked like a bowl of left-over _udon_, Kuro let out a nasty hiss. Clawing his way over my tank-top exposed shoulder, he hissed once more before running back in the direction of my room. Letting out my own hiss, I looked at my shoulder to see eight long, blurred scratches from Kuro's claws dripping blood. Shutting the fridge door, I turned to go get a rag to hold it over my shoulder so that it wouldn't bleed onto my white tank-top. When I turned, I gasped.

Standing in the kitchen with me clad in his usual black attire stood Hiei. Leaning up against the wall, he had his arms crossed over his chest and one ankle crossed over the other. His crimson eyes which I had believed were some odd statement shown through contacts for so long locked onto my bleeding shoulder. Something in them was almost unsettling. Taking a deep breath, I remembered that Hiei and I had been friends for years, and if he had wanted to do something to me he would have done it long ago. Pushing off from the wall, he approached me. Now I noticed how calculated his eyes were and how carefully each of his steps were placed. It was almost as if he was stalking me like I was going to run away.

"Hiei, I didn't know you were there," I said calmly. "You must have spooked Kuro. You know how he never really liked you. I guess he had his reasons," I smiled trying to feel that close friendship that we had once had. In one statement, it was like we had grown a mile apart. I missed the days when I could just talk to him with not a care in the world. With a simple grunt in reply, Hiei stood right next to my shoulder. In one swift move, he had the black cloak he always wore off. Ripping a long piece off, he wrapped it around my shoulder and tied it tightly. I barely heard him mutter _stupid girl, always getting hurt_ under his breath as he inspected the makeshift bandage. "You know, I could just go and get my first-aid kit from under the sink. Then you wouldn't have had to ruin your coat," I smirked as I looked at him.

When Hiei furrowed his brow in response to my words, I couldn't help but to laugh. "Come on. Let's go get my first-aid kit so I can disinfect this thing," I said as I forgot the food that was waiting me in the fridge. I would just have to go back and get that _udon _that was calling my name in a minute. Knowing Hiei was following me even though I couldn't hear him, I turned into my room. Seeing Kuro laying on my pillow, I smiled at him. "Now, Kuro, you have to be nice to Hiei. I know you really don't like him, but he's my friend," I said as I patted him on the head as I walked past. I had to suppress a laugh when Kuro let out a nose snort of sorts when Hiei passed him. Making my way into the bathroom, I flipped the light on. Going directly to the sink, I crouched down and opened the cabinets beneath it. Rummaging around for only a few moments, I pulled out the clear, plastic box that held many of my medical supplies. Sitting down cross legged, I set the box in front of me so that I could see it properly—if I could see anything properly without my glasses—without fear of dropping it.

Reaching up to my shoulder, I tried to untie the knot that Hiei had tied with only one hand. After my fingers fumbled over the knot for a good five minutes, I threw my good arm up in defeat. With a smirk of his own, Hiei crouched down in front of me and untied the knot with one hand easily. I frowned at him when his smirk grew larger. "Narcissist," I mumbled as I pulled the now bloodstained piece of fabric off of my skin. I grimaced a bit when the fabric stuck to the dried blood and pulled on my skin. With Hiei still crouching in front of me, I started to dig through the kit to find the hydrogen peroxide.

"Looking for this?" he asked in his monotone voice as he held up the brown bottle. When I reached for it, I groaned when he held it out of my reach.

"Hiei," I patronized him as I tried once again to get the bottle only to have it just out of my reach once again. I was surprised when he grabbed my wrist and looked into my eyes. I was surprised when he gently laid my arm down on my lap. Leaving it there, I wondered what he would do. I felt my eyes widen when he picked up a piece of gauze, dipped it in hydrogen peroxide, and then started to gently wipe my shoulder with it. When I looked at his face, I saw that his eyes were focused on the scratches on my shoulder. Since I had many cuts over the years, the hydrogen peroxide didn't burn very much since I was fairly used to the stinging the bubbles caused. I had never seen Hiei show so much gentleness in his actions. I couldn't help but to wonder what the heck was going on with the usually indifferent guy in front of me. When my shoulder became strangely warm, I closed my eyes to the feeling. It was almost like a therapeutic patch had been placed on my shoulder.

When Hiei pulled his hand away from my arm, the warm feeling left. I almost groaned when the warmth that was so comforting left. "Stop whining," he said as he once again pulled something out of the box. Feeling his warm hands on my shoulder once again, I was content. The feeling of warmth flowed through my arm as if liquid sunshine was flowing through my veins. It was a very pleasant feeling that caused the pain to dull almost to nothing. With new gauze in hand, Hiei laid the square pieces over the rather deep scratches. The sound of tape being torn from the roll made me open my eyes. Quickly, he taped the gauze down so that it wouldn't fall off of my shoulder. I knew Hiei was done when he rocked back onto his heels. Looking at my shoulder through blurry vision, I saw that he had done a really good job fixing it up. That was as far as I could tell due to my lack of glasses. At first I wondered when he had gotten so good at wrapping wounds, and then I remembered. Taking a quick glance at his right hand, I remembered all the days I thought he done the bandages had been for fighting or something and he never took them off for some stupid reason. Kind of like those guys who had those weird superstitions that if they wore a certain pair of underwear, they would always win. Never washing the said underwear only added to that weirdness that I didn't care to expand on. Now I knew that they had a purpose. When I looked back at all of the things that I had thought about Hiei, I realized that I had been totally wrong about almost everything. Everything I had thought I knew about Hiei had been reduced to nothing that day. It was almost as if I had to re-meet him. The strange part was that, at the same time, we had so much history.

"Thanks," I said as I flashed him a small smile. I hoped that he would at least speak a little. He was being so quiet. Remembering that I was getting food earlier, I deciphered a plan. Standing up, I looked down at Hiei where he was still crouching on the floor. Motioning for him to get up, I waited for him to rise. As he did, he gave me an odd look. I knew that look very well. It was the look he gave me when he knew I was up to something. Most of the time, it involved us looking slightly stupid. At least this time we wouldn't look stupid. Unless if someone else had other plans, of course. "Let's go get some ice cream," I said. The new look on Hiei's face clearly showed that he was not too big on the idea.

"Do you really want to go see that damn old man?" he questioned, crossing his arms back over his chest and looked at me apprehensively.

"Yes, what is it with you and Arata?" I questioned knowing the answer. It was just fun to pick at him about the old man that I was so fond of. Knowing Hiei wasn't about to provide me with an answer, I turned and went to my room. Going out in public with short shorts that were clearly pajamas and a tank top didn't seem like a very good idea at the moment. When I got to my closet, I was bombarded with nothing but colorful blobs. "Crap…" I mumbled. Going back over to my bed, I was well aware of Hiei tailing my every move— with his eyes, of course.

Feeling around on my bed, I tried to find the hard plastic, black framed glasses. They were more of a sleek style, but that was what I wanted. I could let them hang on the edge of my nose so that I could read and still be able to look up without them being in the way. My vision wasn't necessarily the best out there. I wouldn't even consider it slightly good. It was actually pretty bad. I had to have reading glasses, but at the same time, I could only see a certain distance. So, in the vernacular, my vision was not something I was proud of. I probably wouldn't be able to see a snake if it was right beside me.

My thoughts were brought back to reality when a crunch sounded. Fearing what I would find, I felt around easier to find the glasses not on the bed, but on the floor. They were conveniently placed under my foot that was clad in slippers. Reaching down, I whimpered when I felt the damage. This was my only pair of glasses and I had no time to get them fixed or the money. Just because I had a job that didn't mean I had a plentiful amount of money to use. If I were to use the small amount of money I had saved, I wouldn't be able to buy what I had been saving up for. Feeling the large crack in the frame of the left lens, I knew that they wouldn't fit on my face correctly anymore. Great, this was just absolutely peachy.

Before I could say otherwise, Hiei had pulled the defaced glasses out of my hands. "Hey," I said as I tried to get them back. My attempts were quite feudal due to my lack of vision.

"Calm down, onna. I'm only fixing the damn things," he said as he pulled them out of my reach. Wasn't that the second thing he had pulled out of my reach today? It was. Wasn't I the taller one? What was going on here? After he held them for a moment, I watched as he held the crack shut like it would magically seal shut at his will.

"That's not going to work, Hiei," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'll just get some nerdy duct tape and stick it on there. It won't bother me," I said as I made another grab for my stolen glasses. When he once again pulled them out of my reach, I got frustrated. "If that's how you want it, fine! I'll just go waste twenty minutes putting my contacts in, jerk," I said, making sure to mumble the last part. Before I could make it to my bathroom to sulk about my broke glasses as I put in my contacts, Hiei grabbed my arm. "Dear Kami, Hiei, what?!" I asked annoyed as I glared at him.

"Here," he demanded as he shoved the glasses back into my hands. Feeling them, I knew the break would still be there. When I got to the left lens, I had to feel it once again. The plastic was together, slightly bumpy, but it was holding together. Slipping them on my face, I found that they fit correctly. I couldn't help but to be surprised. At the same time, I was grateful to Hiei because I could actually see his face clearly without having to squint and look like an idiot. Before I could even ask Hiei what he had done, he answered. "I melted the plastic back together," was his short, curt answer before he exited the room in a huff.

"Dang it," I said as I realized what I had done. "Akako, what the heck do you think you're trying to do?" I asked myself as I walked over to my closet and quickly picked out something that would look decent out in public. Quickly sliding on the t-shirt that read _iRun _across the front and the black cotton gym shorts that were short but not too short, I tried to get ready in as little time as possible. Before exiting my room, I grabbed my over the shoulder bag off the floor beside my bed. Slinging it over my head, I went in search of Hiei. Knowing he wouldn't have actually left, I looked in the kitchen first. The only reason I knew Hiei hadn't left was due to the fact that he hardly ever turned down the chance of free ice cream. Since I worked there, Arata would usually give each of us a cone on the house. The small ice cream shop had gotten pretty popular over the last few years, so I was usually ready for a wait when we went.

Much to my enjoyment, Hiei and Kuro were having a stare-off in the kitchen. Even though Kuro was a cat, it was almost like you could see the hate waves flowing off of him towards the black clad figure. It was quite entertaining to watch Hiei return the same glare, the one in which he was known to use, right back at the equally black clad cat. The way the two glared at each other let me know at least one thing I was familiar with about Hiei was going to stay the same. When a slight purple glow emitted from under the white bandana on his head, Kuro let out an odd growl that I had never heard him make before. As the glow got slightly brighter, Kuro shrunk to the floor and started to claw at his head. Looking at Hiei, I saw a rather sadistic look was plastered on his face. I felt my eyes grow large at the rather disturbing look Hiei's face now possessed. Deciding that if I wanted to keep my cat, I turned to Hiei to make sure it wouldn't end badly.

"Hiei, stop it!" I yelled as I looked at Kuro who was still clawing at his head on the floor. As if he had finally noticed my presence in the room, Hiei's head whipped around towards me. Some odd look traveled across his eyes as he looked at me. It was almost painful. When the glow stopped, he turned quickly and headed towards the front door. From where I stood in the kitchen, I could see Hiei in the corner of my eye as I bent down and looked at Kuro. Seeing that he was fine except for looking very aggravated, I patted his back end. "Go on. Get comfortable, old boy. We'll be gone for a while," I said as I gently scratched behind his ear as he walked around my leg once; trailing his fluffy, black tail over it, I giggled at the tickling feeling. Standing up, I went over to join Hiei at the door. Slipping on my shoes that rested neatly beside the door, I was ready to go.

Opening the door, I let Hiei walk out before me. Making sure to lock the door, I turned the bolt. When I shut the door out of habit I turned the knob to check to see if the door had in fact locked. After a bad incident when I was in junior high, I was always cautious to check the door whenever I left the apartment. When I was satisfied, I turned to Hiei. "Ready?" I asked as I straightened the bag that was slightly digging into my shoulder. Looking at me through lazy eyes, Hiei gave a small grunt. Taking it as a yes, I started to walk towards the elevators. Before I could click the button, Hiei turned off to go towards the stairs.

With a sigh, I decided to follow him. "Guess this means we're taking the stairs," I said as I walked a little faster to catch up with him.

"You think you're going to get me to go on one of those damn ningen contraptions? Think again," he said over his shoulder as he looked at me with hard, red eyes. Following in Hiei's footsteps, I followed obediently as he wished so that he wouldn't get angry. As we started the long trot down the flights of stairs, I couldn't help but to look at Hiei's back. With the black tank-top he had on that was rather tight, I could clearly see the muscles on his back. My eyes traveled up to look at the toned neck he had. I felt my face grow slightly warm as I realized that I was checking out my friend. Even at the embarrassment, I couldn't keep my eyes from going back to his back and just a little further down. I wasn't exactly complaining about the tight, black jeans that he wore. I swallowed when I stared at his butt. When he suddenly stopped, I ran right into him. Feeling Hiei fall forwards a bit, I felt myself following after him. With a small shriek, I wrapped my arms around his waist to try to catch myself.

I was surprised when we suddenly stopped falling. With my eyes tightly closed, I breathed in and out quickly. When Hiei's chest started to rumble, I opened my eyes. Looking up, I blushed deeply at how close our faces were. With my face as red as my hair due to blushing, I felt my eyes widened when I realized how I was holding onto Hiei. With my arms around his waist, I could easily feel his hard stomach beneath my hands. When I had grabbed onto him, I must have unconsciously put my face into his neck. Now looking out from my hiding spot, my face was only about an inch away from Hiei's face with him looking over his shoulder at me. To make matters worse, I was rather flush up against him in every way possible. I could feel the skin off my thighs pressed right up against his rather shapely backside. As I looked at Hiei's face, I could tell my face was getting even brighter red if it was even possible.

Letting go quickly, I went a few steps back up the stairs to get away from him. With a grunt, Hiei continued his rapid decent down the steps. As I followed after him at a slower pace, I couldn't help to remember how warm Hiei actually was. His body was much warmer than anyone ever. I knew why he was warmer, but that didn't help the surprise when you were right up against him and he was around 103 degrees at the given time. Trying to get over what had happened, I continued to take the stairs at a slower pace so that the same thing would not happen once again. Yet, for some reason, I slightly wanted it to happen again. He warmth Hiei's body had created had made me relax against him to a certain extent. With that thought in mind, I couldn't help but to jump to the night before I had been admitted to the hospital. I knew how Hiei had gotten in my room; he had simply come in through the window. That wasn't the point though. The point was that when Hiei had gotten in bed with me, I had scooted up right against him then. I remembered how Hiei had stiffened, I hated to say it, but it was in more ways than one. The worst part was that I had almost been satisfied at his reaction. Shaking my head, I cleared my head of the thought that had just come to mind. No, I was not going to be that girl.

Reaching the bottom of the steps, I noticed Hiei standing impatiently at the door waiting for me. From the look on his face, it must have taken me longer than I thought to get down the steps. Oops. Jogging over to him, I went through the door he held open with his usual frown. Smiling at Hiei as best as I could as I passed him without blushing, I soaked in the rays from the sun that warmed my skin when I was outside. I had always loved the feeling of the sun on my skin. Something about it just calmed me down. My favorite races were those held during sunny days. I knew the sun made it hotter, but I didn't care. Walking on the sidewalk, I wondered how Arata was doing at the parlor. It was usually pretty full on Fridays. I only hoped that the old man wasn't too swamped. If he was, I could inconspicuously lend him a hand behind the counter.

Even when I was little, I had loved helping Arata at the ice cream parlor. It had never really been work for me. Seeing people smile at me when I handed then something as simple as a cone of ice cream always made my day. I always loved giving ice cream to kids. Something about the way their eyes would light up at the sight of their favorite treat made a warm feeling flood my heart. Without a doubt, I knew I was going to have kids when I was older. It would be weird not to.

"Akako," Hiei said from beside of me. Turning to him, I realized that I had been caught up in my thoughts. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had been saying my name for a few minutes and I have not heard him until now.

"Yeah?" I asked as I looked at side Hiei's face as I walked. I had noticed the almond shape of his eyes rather well when I looked at him today. For a moment, I wished he would turn to me so I could see them again.

"Why aren't you scared of us?" he asked in his usual deep, husky voice. Even though he asked the question in complete calm, I knew he really did wonder. With a sigh, I tried to get my words together.

"I guess I know that if you would have wanted to hurt me, you would have done it long ago. Why wait so long? Plus, Hiei," I said as I looked back at him. Something in the way I spoke must have made him look at me. "Hiei," I repeated, "you know you're my best friend, right? You're one of the few people I have ever told many things to. I trust you, Hiei. Why would I ever be scared of my best friend? For all I care you could be Godzilla and I would still trust you with my life. Nothing ever changed when I learned you were a… when I learned you were a demon." It was hard for me to say the last part. Even as I had tried to adjust to the thought that fear that I had always had was still in my heart. I could only hope that one day I would be able to kick the silly fear in the rear end.

When Hiei didn't reply, I took it that he was taking some time to comprehend my words. The rest of our walk to the ice cream parlor was rather quiet. It wasn't a bad quiet, it was rather a peaceful quiet that was calming and let you just think. When the parlor finally came into view, I groaned. The line was long. By long, I mean really dang long. I could see people pressed up against the door in line. Only thinking about it for a moment, I opened the door and started to shove through people. Grabbing Hiei's hand, I made sure he stayed with me. As I went through, I could hear people yelling at me for cutting line and being a jerk. "I am an employee!" I declared loudly as I continued to push through the people that were rude and decided not to let me through as easily as the others who had heard me say I was an employee.

Finally making it to the front of the line, I huffed. Continuing to drag Hiei by his hand, I pulled him through the small swing door on the counter that let employees in and out. Making my way to the back of the store where the employee lockers were, I decided that I was going to help out. Opening the door, I threw my bag down on the bench in front of me. Going over to my small locker, I pulled out my apron. Quickly tying it on over my clothes, I let the rest of my uniform sit in the locker. I had no reason to get it out and change. By then Arata would have the crowd under control. Undoing my loose ponytail, I shook my hair and redone it. When I was suitably dressed to get to work, I looked over at Hiei. Seeing that he looked rather unamused, I sighed. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him after me once again. "Come on," I encouraged as I waked back out to the main room. Seeing a chair, I pushed Hiei towards it. I knew he wouldn't sit in it, but at least I offered it.

Seeing the first customer that was obviously waiting to be helped, I smiled. "How may I help you today, ma'am?" I asked as I looked at the woman and her two children.

"I would like one chocolate ice cream, two scoops in a cone; one vanilla in a cone, single scoop; and I would also like a mint chocolate chip, single scoop, in a cone," she listed off quickly. I knew she had done this before due to how easily she rattled off what she wanted and the details se gave me. Writing it all down quickly, I smiled at her and her children.

"Coming right up," I said whilst still smiling. Setting my order pad down where I could see it, I quickly got to work on the order. Getting the smaller two first, I scooped vanilla ice cream into one cone. Seeing the younger boy's eyes light up, I knew it was his. Handing it to him, I loved his smile. Grabbing another cone, I filled it with mint chocolate ice cream. Handing it to the other child whose eyes lit up much like her brother's, I couldn't help but to let my smile widen. Finally getting the mother's order, I handed it to her. Moving over to my register I rung up the total for the woman's order. Before they left, the two children bowed and thanked me kindly. Returning the action, I was reminded once again why I loved my job.

The rest of the line was diminished in a similar manner. Arata looked over to see me working, but he never said anything about me being there while we were trying to tame the crowd. When we were finally done with the line, I sat down in the chair that Hiei had left unoccupied. As usual, he had simply leaned against the wall and watched everything I had done. "Perfect timing, Ko," Arata said as he pulled a chair out of nowhere to sit in it. With a grunt, he flopped down in the chair much like I had. "I thought you weren't coming back to work until Tuesday," he said as he put his hands behind his head and stretched. I heard various pops and crunches come from the old man's arthritic bones. "I'm going to assume that your mother and father have no clue that you are here," he said with a crooked smile.

With an unhappy chuckle, I scratched my head. "Not really," I said with a nervous smile. The smile on Arata's face only got bigger at my words.

"I should have known you would show up, Ko. You always do," he said leaning forward and placing his hands on his knees. "So," he continued. "You finally found out?" he asked looking at me with soft eyes. Furrowing my brow, I wondered what he meant. "I see you don't completely understand what I'm talking about. Maybe your little demon friend behind you might know," he said. At the word demon, I stiffened. Looking behind me quickly, I saw Hiei had stiffened as well. "Oh, don't give me that look, kiddo," he said looking behind me to lock eyes with Hiei. I heard Hiei's growl of disapproval at the name. "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell about you or your friends. You know that nice young man that comes in every once in a while, Kuwabara Kazuma was him name?" he asked.

"Sadly," Hiei replied monotonously from behind me. Turning around to face him, I saw that he had quite a look of disgust on his face. I couldn't help but wonder what made Hiei not like Kazuma. He was really sweet. Ignoring that conversation for later, I turned back to Arata. I really needed to figure out what was going on.

"Well, I guess I could be considered to have the powers he had when he was a child. I've always been able to sense certain things that were… off per say," he said with a crooked smile. It really reminded me of the smile Yusuke wore at times.

"Hiei," I said quietly. "What exactly does he mean by that?" I asked. Even though I knew what everyone was and what they could do, I really couldn't understand exactly some of the things.

"In a simpler form, he can read auras," he said with a scowl on his face. "I knew I didn't like you for some reason," he said as he looked at Arata with the same calculating look. At Hiei's glare, Arata laughed whole heartedly. I could practically see the old man's frame shaking.

"Thanks. Kiddo, you really ain't got to like me," he said leaning back in his chair once again.

"Don't call me kiddo. I'm probably older than you, ningen," he spat with venom dripping from his words.

"You know, I wouldn't doubt that. You know, Hiei, I always wondered why you hang around here in Ningenkai. From what I understood from the announcements at the Dark Tournament and the Three Kings Tournament, you really hated all of us. It still throws me off," he said with a skeptical look on his face as he looked off in thought. At the mentions of tournaments, I could only think of battles and blood. Well, that probably explained a lot about the times when Hiei came back. After that, I registered all of what Arata had said. Hiei hated "all of us." What did that translate into? Feeling my chest tighten, I looked away from Hiei. I didn't want him to see the obvious look of hurt on my face. So many emotions had been running through my mind today it was dizzying.

"It's none of your damn business," Hiei spat clearly at Arata. Glancing at the old man who I had become so attached to over the years, I saw him smiling like a little boy who had gotten away with the most unspeakable thing he could think of.

"I see," he said in a sing-song voice while looking up at the ceiling. Not understanding how Arata was still smiling with Hiei talking to him in such a rude way, I looked between the two. Seeing Hiei looking at Arata with the most surprised face Hiei could manage with his few facial expressions, I knew they both knew exactly what the other was thinking. Sighing, I let it go. I was too emotionally drained to care about what the two guys were thinking about. Standing up, I went over to the ice cream counter. Grabbing a cone, I scooped myself out some of the confetti filled vanilla. It wasn't that bad. The different flavor bursts were actually quite interesting. Leaning against the counter, I ate my ice cream in relative peace. After eating my ice cream for a while, I looked up to notice Hiei whose eyes were locked on my ice cream quite intently. Continuing to eat my ice cream with a smile, I waited for him to give in and ask me for some. Knowing Hiei wasn't into having others do things for him because he was such a do it yourself person, I knew I was practically torturing him by eating my ice cream right in front of him. Well, he deserved it for not telling me about his and Arata's secret that they were apparently keeping from me.

Watching him out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Hiei shift uncomfortable from one foot to the other. After about ten seconds, he walked over to me. "Akako," he said. Looking up at him as if I didn't realize he had been looking at me, I grunted in reply. Tracing his gaze to my ice cream, I smirked. Payback time. Waving the ice cream quite literally in his face, I watched as his red eyes followed it greedily. Not being able to contain it, I busted out laughing. After breaking out of his sugar filled daydream, Hiei registered that I was laughing at him. With a glare that really didn't hold much anger, Hiei crossed his arms over his chest waiting impatiently. With another laugh, I shoved my ice cream at him.

"Hold this," I demanded. When he wrapped his hands around the cone, I couldn't help but to blush slightly when his warm hands wrapped around mine a bit. Pulling my hand away quickly, I turned to the ice cream counter so that I could not only get his ice cream but hide my blush at the same time. Grabbing a sugar cone, Hiei and his weird sugar addiction was past me, I filled the cone with four scoops of mint chocolate chip. Knowing Hiei, he would have the whole cone finished in about five minutes. It was crazy how fast he ate ice cream. Turning back with his cone in hand, I frowned at him to keep my smile from showing. My ice cream had started to melt as he had held it. Not having a napkin, he had done the only logical thing. He was currently licking the dripping liquid off of the cone and his hand. "Here," I said trying to keep my bad frown in place but failed miserably and started to laugh instead.

Looking up at me quickly, I saw Hiei shoot his not-a-real-glare glare at me. Taking his ice cream in the one hand that didn't hold mine, Hiei managed to hand mine back to me without getting much more on himself. "We'll clean you up later. Just eat your ice cream," I said with a smile. Eagerly doing as I had said, Hiei started to devour his ice cream like he hadn't eaten anything in the past year. Satisfied that he was busy, I sighed and fell back against the counter. "So," I said looking at Arata who was still sitting in his chair watching Hiei and I with a smile on his face. When he looked at me with an expression that clearly said to go on, I continued. "Do I get paid for today?" I asked with a sarcastic smile.

When I saw my sarcasm was shared, I waited for Arata's comeback. "Well," he said stopping to scratch his chin, "I think that ice cream the two of you are devouring is payment. I don't know. You guys eat enough ice cream between the two of you that I always have to order more, especially mint chocolate chip." He said looking at us with a criticizing but sarcastic look.

"I wouldn't deny that. Hiei probably goes through a bucket every week," I said. "Literally," I added while looking at him. Even after the short while him and his ice cream had been acquainted, he was already working on the cone. I swore he inhaled it instead of actually eating it. Only looking up at me from what was left of his ice cream, Hiei didn't even try to defend himself. Knowing he was too engulfed in his ice cream to care that we were talking about him, I smiled for the hundredth time today.

"You're probably right," Arata said with no sarcasm in his voice. "I really wonder why a fire demon eats so much ice cream…" he trailed off. I couldn't help but to wonder the same thing. As we both looked at Hiei, I really did wonder. Wouldn't it be more logical if he hated it? The more I thought about it, the more confused it got.

Looking at Arata with almost horror on my face, I realized what we had just got into. "What have we just stumbled upon?" I asked looking at him with the same look on my face.

"I was wondering the same thing," he said as he looked at Hiei with almost the same look I had on my face. We both stared at him as he finished his ice cream. Licking his fingers, Hiei seemed to be content with his dose of sugar for the hour. Finally noticing that we were staring at him, he gave us the oddest of looks.

"Onna," he said looking at my hand. Following his gaze, I almost cursed at what I saw. My ice cream had almost completely melted into a puddle on the floor and my hand.

"Crap!" I exclaimed as I ran over to a trashcan beside the counter. Dumping the ruined ice cream cone in it, I sighed. "Didn't even get to eat half of it," I mumbled to myself as I looked at the lost delicacy that now lay in a melted blob in the bottom of the trashcan. Sucking it up, I turned back around. Grabbing a wet towel that laid on the counter, I quickly wiped up the puddle of stickiness. When I was done, I successfully managed to throw the rag across the room to the sink that held the few dirty dishes that accumulated throughout the day here at the parlor. With a smile at my small success that really had no point, I quickly forgot about my loss of the fallen ice cream. Turning to Hiei, I could tell he was wondering why I was smiling over something so trivial. "I guess we both have to wash our hands now," I said as I looked down at my now sticky hand.

"Hn," he replied with a grunt. Successfully translating the grunt, I knew he was agreeing with me in a slightly snide way. Not taking it harshly, I went over to the sink where the dishes were. Choosing the side that had a drying rack in it, I turned the larger faucet over it and turned the water on hot. Only getting a drop of dish detergent, I washed my hands quickly. Turning the water off quickly, I pulled a single paper towel off of the roll with a flick of the wrist. Walking back over to where Hiei and Arata were standing in silence, I dried my hands as I went.

"Go wash your hands. They're going to get sticky," I said indicating the sink with my head. Tossing the towel in the trash, I realized I still had my work apron on. "I'll be back," I said over my shoulder as I went into the employee locker room. Shutting the door behind me, I untied my apron. Seeing that some ice cream had soaked through onto my shirt, I sighed. Checking to make sure that no one was in the room, I pulled my shirt off over my head. Digging in my tiny locker, I pulled out the extra shirt that I always kept in there. The shirt a soft, breathable fabric that was an ivory color with the back made completely of lace. It was really only three fourths of a shirt since the bottom tied very cutely. A lavender spaghetti strap shirt was also folded in with the shirt so that all of my back wouldn't be showing, revealing my bra to the mass public. Seeing that it really wouldn't match shorts I had on because they were so casual, I groaned in defeat. Reaching in the locker, I pulled out the pair of light wash jean shorts that I had stashed along with the top. I had always made sure my extra clothes were comfortable, but not too casual incase if I had to go somewhere after work and my clothes had got something on them. Laying the outfit on the bench behind me, I toed off my sneakers and pulled off my shorts while still facing the lockers. Turning around to grab the shirt from where it sat behind me, I felt my eyes practically bug out of my head.

Standing in the doorway was none other than Hiei. Freaking out, I grabbed my shirt that had ice cream on it and threw it at him. "OUT!" I yelled at him as his face was covered by my shirt. Seeing that he was making no attempt to leave, I rushed over to him and shoved him out of the door quickly while he still had the shirt on his head. Slamming the door behind him right as he pulled the shirt from his line of vision, I locked it. Breathing in deeply, I felt my face burning. Turning around, I leaned against the door and slid down it to the floor. "Oh my gods," I said to myself as I stared straight ahead. As one side of my brain was freaking out about Hiei walking in on me, the other was trying to tell me that I shouldn't be freaking out as much as I was due to the fact that the track team always saw me. Plus, they saw me a little more exposed than Hiei did; yet, this was completely different. I always saw the track members as brothers. Hiei was nothing like that. In reality, I saw Hiei as much more. Placing my head in my hands, I groaned. "Admit it, Akako. You like him," I said to myself as I sat with my back against the wooden door that separated me from Hiei. Even though I said it, I felt embarrassed by it.

Hiei was my friend, a really close friend to be exact. I would even go as far as saying he was my best friend. I didn't know if I was his best friend, but I knew he was probably the closest friend I had ever had in my entire life. Leaning my head back, I rested it against the door. Looking up at the ceiling, I tried to figure out what I was going to do with myself. The last few weeks had thrown me for a loop. Having surgery, missing two track races, Hiei sleeping in my bed, Haku revealing to me that there were demons and psychics, finally realizing my feelings for Hiei were actually something more than friendship, Hiei walking in on me, and other things that just made me stress only added to my problems. Gods, I really didn't need this right now. When someone knocked on the door rather firmly, I knew it was Hiei. "Akako," he growled from the other side. Taking a deep breath, I wondered if I was going to be able to speak. "If you don't hurry up I'm going to break down this damn door," he added. Taking one last breath, I attempted to speak in a normal voice.

"Give me a minute," I managed to say rather quietly. Getting up from the floor, I walked back over to the bench. Slowly putting my clothes on, I thought as I dressed. What the heck was I going to do now? I really didn't want to ruin Hiei's and my friendship after knowing him for so long. Plus, we were already on the rocks due to what had just recently been revealed to me. If things couldn't get worse, it was my luck that I apparently, unbeknownst to my conscience, had started to develop slight feelings for him. This was great. Just great. Having successfully put my clothes on correctly, that was a huge surprise all in itself, I shoved my dirty clothes and apron in my bag to wash later. Throwing it over my shoulder, I went to the door. Facing it for a while, I took a deep breath to prepare myself for what was to come when I opened the door. Deciding that waiting wasn't going to make it any better, I unlocked the door and went out.

Hiei was right where I expected him to be. Leaning against the wall across from the door, he looked at me raising his brow slightly. "You were taking too long," he stated plainly as if to explain why he had walked in. Not replying, I walked out to the main room where Arata was getting a customer rung up.

"We're going to head out," I said walking out from behind the counter. "See you next week," I called over my shoulder at him.

"Okay. Be careful," he said right as we were walking out of the door. Leaving the air-conditioned environment, I felt the heat of the sun on my skin rather quickly. Waving over my head, I showed him that I had heard him. Walking down the sidewalk to nowhere in particular, I waited for Hiei to say more. I knew he was going to. Something about the way he had given me an "explanation" earlier told me that he had something else to say on the matter and I had a decent idea of what it would be in my head.

"Why the hell is any different if I see you changing when all those damn ningens on that fucking track team of yours always see you naked?" Hiei growled from beside me. Something in his voice was different from his usual angered voice. It was… darker in some odd way. Quite frankly, it was rather an animalistic growl that sounded feral to put it lightly.

Looking away from him, I didn't want him to see my blush. "It's just different, Hiei," I said while looking at my feet. I never really knew how worn my sneakers were until now. I probably needed to get a new pair soon.

"Different? How is it fuckin' different?" he yelled. Grabbing my arm roughly, he stopped my march forward. Turning me towards him, he grabbed my face with his other hand when I wouldn't look at him. When I didn't reply but only looked away with my eyes, he shook me. "Why is it so different?" he asked with the same acidity in his voice. I could tell that people on the sidewalk were watching us with wide eyes. They were probably wondering what type of lovers quarrel was going on.

Closing my eyes tightly, I tried to think of a good way to answer him. I definitely did not want to tell Hiei that I was getting some feelings for him. When he shook me again, I was forced to look in his eyes. Gasping, I saw how different they looked. Raw anger was held in the now red eyes that more closely resembled blood than the maraschino cherries I had always compared them to. Something else was also swimming around in his eyes. I had seen it so much over the past few weeks, but I had no clue what it was. Never seeing the emotion in Hiei before just recently, I had nothing to connect it to so I could try to figure out what it was. "Why is it so damn different, Akako?" he asked quietly. For some reason him asking me quietly was more chilling than him yelling the question. Swallowing, I tried to moisten my dry throat that had closed tight.

"I… it's diff… bec… I …" I stumbled over what to say. I literally had no words to say what I wanted to. Chewing on my bottom lip, I looked up for a minute to attempt to get words once again. After looking up for most likely a lifetime, I felt Hiei squeeze my arms in his hands. It wasn't necessarily a hard squeeze, it was just one to get my attention. Knowing he wanted an answer, I racked my brain. What was I going to say? Gods, this was exactly what I didn't want to happen. Why the heck did it have to end up like this?! Everything I had hoped not to happen had. After coming up completely blank, there was only one thing I could do. "Ah hell," I groaned as I closed my eyes. Knowing Hiei knew specifically that I hardly ever cursed, I hope he knew that this wasn't exactly what I would call an "ideal" situation. When he shook me again, I clearly knew it had only fueled the flame of his anger. "It's because it's really different for a guy you are practically brother and sister with to see you undress than a guy that has been your friend for years and you don't exactly want to stay just friends! Okay! Does that answer your damn question?!" I yelled letting it all out. When Hiei still had his hands on my arms, I pushed him in an attempt to get him to let go of me now that I was angry. "You got your answer, now let me go!" I yelled as I clawed at his hands that now had an iron grasp on my arms. When I realized he wasn't going to let me go, I stopped my futile attempts to get away. There really was no use in trying to push him away with physical force. He was a demon and had an endless amount of energy to use against feeble, little me.

When I finally looked at Hiei's face, I expected to see disgust or something that would clearly mean I had ruined our friendship. What I saw was clearly not what I expected. Eyes wide, Hiei was staring at me. Not in disgust. No, it was actually quite far from it. Frankly, I had never seen a look on Hiei's face like it. The only thing I could hope to describe it as was like a foreign person had come up to him and started speaking to him, expecting him to understand. In other words, it was like he had no damn clue what I had just said. "What did you say?" he asked in a slow, quiet voice. I almost stiffened at his voice. When I just right back at him, he got frustrated. "What did you say?! Tell me!" he demanded.

"That it's different because you are different to me!" I said back in an angry voice. When Hiei let me go, I was surprised when he stepped back. Actually, it looked like he stumbled. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Hiei started to pace. I could hear him mumbling, but I couldn't make out exactly what he was saying. "Great. This is exactly what I knew was going to happen. Why the hell did I have to say that?!" I growled at myself. When Hiei's head snapped up, his eyes almost held… desperation? What the heck? Now everything was going backwards. After looking away up at the sky, Hiei sighed.

"Well fuck," were his only words. Looking at him, I sighed.

"Hiei," I said quietly. "I really didn't mean to ruin our friendship. It's… it's just a little crush. That doesn't mean we don't have to stop being friends," I said quietly hanging my head. "I'll just go home and let you think about it and see if you can possibly still be my friend. I know you probably already have some lovely demon woman back in Makai that you're dying to go back to. Maybe that Mukuro girl would be better for you. Oh, there was that Yukina girl, too," I said thinking back to the names Hiei had said before. Turning to walk away, I was stopped by Hiei's hand on my arm once again. By tomorrow, I would definitely have bruises from my arms being grabbed so much. "What?" I asked calmly. I didn't have the energy to argue anymore. There was really no need. Hiei was probably going to run back to Makai to his mistresses and have them comfort him because he was disgusted at the thought of a stupid, ningen female having some type of feelings for him.

"Akako," he said. Turning to look at him, I waited for whatever he was going to say. "Mukuro is my boss and Yukina… Yukina is my twin sister. Okay?" he said. Thinking of his words, I let them set in. So Mukuro and Yukina had no intimate relations with him? Gods, I really felt like an idiot. At the same time, how the heck was I supposed to know that they were his boss and sister. Oh yeah, there wasn't any possible way for me to have known.

"And how does that change things, Hiei? At the moment all I would like is a straight answer," I said calmly still with no hope of him ever saying anything about having any feelings for me. At times I wondered if Hiei even considered me his friend. Then, other times, he was so protective of me it was obvious he cared for me in some way, friendly or intimately, I had no friggin' clue to be honest.

Taking a one step closer to me, I was tempted to take a step away. When he took two rather large steps towards me, I knew I wasn't escaping. When he reached his hand up and gently pushed some of my bangs that had fell into my eyes out of the way, I stiffened. "It changes things a damn lot," he said quietly.

**CLIFFY! MWHAHAHAHAHAHA! I LOVE YOU GUYS! This chapter went really well actually. It is probably my favorite. I know you guys all probably sending hate waves at me through the computer at the moment. It didn't take long to write once I started it. Around a week was all it took. Probably the best time ever. I was pretty surprised I got it done so quickly with all I had going on. My grandmother's defibrillator went off so she had to be in the hospital for a few days earlier this week. Since my grandfather was out on the farm and none of us wanted to leave her alone for too long, I stayed at her house for most of the week. To add to that, I helped my church with Bible School this week so I was gone from around 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Fifth graders can get pretty brutal with water games… Anyhow, this chapter was pretty much a building of Hiei and Akako's relationship. Yeah, Arata has some spiritual awareness. It isn't anything special. Just a little tidbit that made him able to sense demons and such so it's not all that important to the story line. The only reason it really matters is when later he explains to Hiei, alone of course, why he allowed him to even associate with Akako. Yep, Arata was looking out for her the whole time. I knew I loved the old man for a reason. Heh Heh. I was wondering, about how long does it take, on average, to read a chapter of Leap? Just a question.**

**I started writing this chapter when I was eating some udon. Due to my sister, I spilt it and it looked like I had peed on myself. Since I had on rather shorter shorts, I just decided to go get a rag and wipe off my legs so that I wouldn't have to change. When I went into the kitchen, where my mother just happened to be, she looked at me sincerely and asked, "Did you pee yourself?", with the most serious face ever. I couldn't help but to laugh. It was actually pretty funny.**

**I can't help but to wonder why my mother thinks stealing my phone and hiding it away in some unknown location will keep me from shutting myself up in my room. I really have no interest of being anywhere else. Since my room is literally my nerd cave, I have no reason to leave. I am in my natural habitat as my sister once said to my mother as she tried to explain why I wasn't a social person. I don't think I have ever been a social person to put it bluntly. She must have some odd fantasy in her mind that one day I will be the perfect daughter that no longer stays in her room all day, draws all the time, reads weird backwards books, watches foreign television shows, stays on her computer all the time, writes a lot, and wears a color that is black or very close to it. In reality, that will most likely never happen. **

**Fun fact about Yu Yu Hakusho: Kazuya is not only the name of Kurama's stepfather; it is also the name of Sensui's most aggressive personality which attempted to kill Yusuke by shooting him in the face. Delightful.**

**Thanks again for all the reviews and reads. They really are appreciated!**

**With Love and the Blood of my Enemies, **

**Akara Kaiyo Suzuki**


	10. In Which a Fox Calms a Dragon

**Full Summary: After knowing Hiei for around four years, Akako finally learns the truth. Hiei is a demon. With her fear of most everything paranormal hanging over her head, she has to adjust to the idea that he is, in fact, one of her fears come to life. While trying to cope, she learns that not only is Hiei a demon, but a fellow school mate is a powerful psychic who has been training with non-other than Genkai to hone his skills to perfection. In her journeys with the Yu Yu Hakusho crew, Akako experiences many things that she wishes to have never seen in her life including demons, ghosts, ghouls running rampant, and one red-head demon that she just can't get along with. When Akako and Hiei finally get close, they are only to be separated once again by one of Hiei's many trips to Makai. Will Akako ever be able to forgive him for the way her left her, or will he not even have a chance to see her again? Find out inside! Hiei X OC**

**Purple Dragon Ranger: Thank you for always reviewing and showing an interest in Leap. It is a great encouragement!**

**Clarisse Eileen Black: Heh heh. You taught me how to do such good cliff hangers. I guess it is just one of my strengths. Thanks for really liking Leap, hon. It really does mean a lot. You know how much I talk about it. Love you!**

**buzzk97: Dead yet? Heh heh. I know how you feel. Yet, I love doing cliff hangers. They make me so happy. I think I got a nice tan from the hate waves. Thanks, now I don't have to lie out in the sun! (/*^.^/)**

**DemonMiko Jenna: Good. You are usually the first. I agree, Arata is awesome. I just like the thought of the old man being so smart. I guess it is where I'm around my grandpa so much. Ah, who knows?**

* * *

~*~ Hiei's P.O.V. ~*~

Pushing some of her hair out of her face, he looked at her green eyes. Hiei didn't know why he was doing any of this. There was no reason for him to. In retrospect, she was right. There probably was some demon woman back in Makai that would have been better for him. Probably a better lay, better life expectancy, better strength, but none of that mattered. For some reason, he had no desire to leave her. Something about her drew him towards her—a strong, burning pull—that Hiei just couldn't turn away from. "It changes things a damn lot," he said in a voice that he wondered if it was his own.

When she closed her eyes, he knew she was wondering why he was doing what he was doing. It was written all over her face. Feeling her lean into his fingers that still rested on her forehead, Hiei trailed them down to her cheek. Her skin was so smooth beneath his calloused hands he was surprised she didn't pull away at the feel. Her skin was almost like the delicate petal of a cherry blossom beneath his rough, swordsman hands. It was a thousand wonders it was not bruised and bloodied like everything else he touched. When she rubbed her cheek against his hand, Hiei was surprised even further even though it never showed on his face. At her responsive touch, the Jagan found it a great time to intervene. Hiei's mind was flooded with thoughts of all what he could do to her. It would be so easy for him to snatch her away. He was strong enough to force her if she fought back. Even easier, Hiei could use the Jagan to incapacitate her in the blink of eye. Thoughts of him finding a secluded space where he could make her his own rushed through Hiei's mind an impossible speed. At the thoughts, his pants became uncomfortably tight. He could feel the Dragon urging the Jagan forward, pleading with it to push him forward to claim what he had found in his sights for too long.

Something cool and soft pressing up against his face brought Hiei back to reality. Focusing on what had brought him back to reality, he found himself was looking at the confused face of Akako, who's hand was still raised slightly from touching his face. He usually hated it when people touched him. Touching was a show of affection. Hiei wasn't an affectionate person. Yet, for some reason, her touch only lit up his blood. Something about the way her soft skin felt against his made was so enticing. "Hiei," she said quietly. Since he was still rather… uncomfortable at the moment, the way she whispered his name was not the best calming thing. Actually, she wasn't calming at all. Looking at the blue jean shorts she wore, the Jagan pulsed. The shorts showed off too much of her toned, tan legs. It wasn't that he didn't mind the view; he just didn't like the fleeting looks from the other males around that would land on the beautiful legs before them. No one would touch Akako on his watch. Whenever she had fallen against him on the stairs, Hiei had went down the stairs quicker than she could follow so that she wouldn't be able to see the obvious bulge in the front of his pants her touch had caused. Even though he had not showed it, the feeling of her skin pressed up against his, even though Hiei had a layer of clothing on to separate them, had lit a fire in him that he had never know. After four years of knowing the girl, the desire that had grown that day had never went away like he had hoped it would. He had taken so many other demons after he had seen her in attempts to get that desire out of him, but it had never helped. All he ever saw was an image of her face and her red hair fanned out behind her as he took the demon he was with. At one point in time Hiei had thought about asking the Fox if they could have a go around just to see if it would help since he and Akako had so many similarities in physical features. After thinking it through, he realized it would be safer if he bore the pain rather than asking Kurama in fear of having himself eaten by one of Kurama's damn plants as retaliation.

The thing that got him the most had to be that she was completely oblivious to the fact that he was so sexually attracted to her. It was almost as if she was purposefully flaunting herself in front of his eyes. This morning when he had first went to her house she had on those damn shorts that he loved and hated at the same time. Hiei could practically see the curve of her ass from the bottom. They were more like lose underwear than shorts. Add the shirt she had on that hugged her like a second skin and you had a very sexually aroused fire demon on your hands. Just remembering what she looked like made him release a feral growl that came from the very bottom of his chest.

Knowing things had gone too far, Hiei done the one thing that he could think of. Zipping away, he ran. Where was he running, he really had no damn clue. All he knew was that he had to make distance between him and Akako. The intimate ways he had been thinking about her infuriated him. Why couldn't he still hate her like he had so long ago? Why the hell did she have to show him that care that she showed to everyone? Why in the fucking hell had he even stayed?! He should have left Ningenkai years ago. He should have walked away at the first damn chance he got. Now, he knew there wasn't going to be a chance. His inner-demon screamed for him to go back to her, and never let her go. Clenching his eyes shut, he pushed himself faster. Why the hell was he running so much?! He had never run away from a situation, but now, it was the only thing he knew to do. He hated being so weak. With his eyes shut, he let the feeling of the wind whipping around him calm him down. Even though he hated the thought of staying around ningens for the moment, the person he wanted to talk to happened to live with a friggin hoard of them. Growling out his internal frustrations, Hiei took the path he had taken many a time to go see his comrade.

The ningens he passed on the sidewalk didn't even take a sideways glance to see what dark shadow had flown past them with such speed. They all kept on with their forward march to whatever damn thing they were doing. Most likely something mind-numbing that took no skill at all to complete. Hiei knew all too well how mindless anyone could be. After working for Mukuro for such a long time he had seen many a demon who done their job with no thought to it at all. They were a shell, hollowed out with nothing left inside. He never pitied them. They had done it to themselves. He had never received an ounce of pity in his journeys, so why waste his time pitying them? There was no reason. That was the simple answer.

Turning into the trees, Hiei knew it would make his travels much easier. Knowing he had to slow down soon, he took his time getting to the Fox's house from where he was at. Slowing to a walk, he shoved his hands into his pockets. There were no noises of nature around him. At least the animals in Ningenkai were smarter than the ningens. When something unknown to them entered their domain, they hid. They cherished their safety more than knowing what had wandered its way into their forest. Yes, Hiei thought the animals were smarter than the ningens. Hiei wondered on the offhand when he would be able to use his Jagan again. Whenever he had attempted to use it, the outcome was always the same. Thinking back to the damn psychic boy had so easily taken Hiei into his grasps made his body boil with anger. He should have never been taken away by a ningen so easily. He was a S-Class demon for the gods' sakes. Feeling his anger boiling in his blood, he only wished he was able to let it out. Killing something sounded very pleasant to him at this point in time. The thought of the shrieks of his victim filling his ears made a cruel smirk come to his face. He hadn't killed something in a while. Slipping away to Makai for a while might not be a bad idea. Before he could think further into his conundrum, Hiei was in the backyard of Kurama.

Knowing Kurama would be able to sense the demonic aura flowing from his own body, Hiei waited. Just like he predicted, the Fox was out of his house within the minute. Standing in front of the back door, Kurama was looking at Hiei with his arms crossed over his chest. Letting out an indignite huff, Hiei started to walk forward. For some reason, he knew that the Fox was not in the mood for trivial things. "Hello, Hiei, how may I help you today?" Kurama asked in his usual calm tone. Hiei didn't buy it. He could tell by the small signs that the Fox was showing that he was angry. The slight tensing of his jaw, his arms were crossed over his chest to hide his clenched fist, and even the tips of his smile were strained into not scowling. Hiei smiled on the inside knowing that he was making Kurama squirm.

"Stop with the act, Kurama," Hiei said standing about four feet in front of Kurama. Crossing his own arms in front of his chest, he raised a single eyebrow in waiting.

With a heavy sigh, Kurama let his arms fall. "Hiei, you know just as well as I do that what went on in that hospital room could have been handled much better than it was. I know you went to see her today, how was she? Did she hate you like you thought? Did she push you away in fear of your true nature?" Kurama asked while looking at Hiei in the eyes.

"That's not what I'm here for, Fox," Hiei spat at the redhead in front of him.

"Stop ignoring my questions, Hiei. You know that I was right. Even though you had known her for years and you never told her anything about yourself, she still trusted you. Yet, you know there are going to be consequences to what you have done. Think about how this is going to affect her for a moment, what would happen if other demons found out about your involvement with her?" Kurama stopped only for a moment to notice the small growl that Hiei let out. He didn't know what the growl was meant for, but he knew he had said something right, or wrong in Hiei's case. "What will you do if one day she does decide that she can't stand the fact that you are a demon? What will happen if you shed someone's blood before her eyes? That would change something, I assume," he said letting his green eyes bore into Hiei's brain. He may not have a Jagan that could read minds, but he had known Hiei long enough to pick up on certain things.

"I'm not weak," was Hiei's small reply.

"Hiei, you're not always going to be there," Kurama said looking at his friend with truth reflecting in his eyes. "I wasn't always there for my mother. Look how much almost happened to her, Hiei. I can't count how many times I almost got her killed in the past. Hiei, it's not possible to always watch after those who you care about," Kurama said looking up to the sky. He watched as the birds made chase to each other, making lazy arks in the air and letting out chirps of joy. They had nothing to worry about. He couldn't help to wonder how much easier it would be to just stay in his fox form and never come back. To wander the forest with only a few basic needs: food, water, and shelter would be the only things he would ever have to worry about. As the wind shifted a bit, the plants around him told him everything. He could have told you how many bugs were in the forest if he desired. Sighing, he let them sing their song of happiness to their master for a moment. The presence of all his plants always calmed him down a bit. He could only hope that he could get through to Hiei. He didn't want that girl, no matter how unsettling to him she was, to get caught up in their lives. He had seen what it had done to Keiko when Yusuke was gone for long points of time. Even though she tried, she could never hide her depression from them.

"That's not what I am here for, Kurama," Hiei seethed darkly. He didn't want to hear the Fox talk about the woes of his life. All he needed was someone to tell him what the hell was going on inside of him. He hated the churning of emotions that had been going around in him so recently. Before, he had been able to keep control of himself. Then, suddenly, it had all changed. All these feelings of lust and possessiveness had enveloped his every thought. He was pushed to do whatever he wanted to with Akako. He wasn't in, what the ningens called, love. The thought of such a pathetic thing was revolting. There was no such thing. There was lust, uncontrollable, in satiated lust, but there was no love. Never was, and never would be.

Out of nowhere, Kurama asked a question that Hiei didn't expect. "Have you gone to go see Yukina lately? I'm sure you would find something quite interesting about what is going on with her," Kurama said tilting his head to the side lazily as he talked to Hiei. Something about the question held other meaning. Narrowing his eyes at Kurama, Hiei practically demanded for the Fox to tell him what was going on with Yukina. Since the day the Dragon had wreaked havoc on the temple, Hiei had not gone there. Most of the temple was still gone, but Koenma had apparently worked some of his magic to get most of the work done quickly. Yet, there was still work to be done. "Surely you would know what is going on. Hiei, you really had no reason to come here. You're real answers lie in the origins to your mother's people," Kurama said looking at Hiei calmly.

"What the hell does that mean?! Kurama, you know just as well as I do that I have no damn clue about Hina's people. All I know is that they are practically a race of the living dead. They walk around with hearts of ice with no capability of care. All they do worry about is themselves. I have never had any desire to find out more about those ice bitches," he growled taking a few steps closer to Kurama.

"Does that mean you think Yukina is one of those who have a heart of ice and thinks only of herself? Is she one of those ice bitches, Hiei?" Kurama asked Hiei with a little anger in his own voice. He knew just as well as Hiei that Yukina was nothing like that. She was so selfless it should have been illegal. He knew where Hiei was coming from, hell, if he had been thrown off a cliff by his people he would probably have the same views that Hiei did. It would be hard not to, but it was still not an excuse to not know anything about himself. If anything it should have made him learn even more than was necessary. He needed to know if there was anything that he should look out for in his future, and that was exactly why he was here. Hiei had no clue about himself.

"Don't bring Yukina into this," Hiei said in an eerily calm voice. Kurama recognized that voice, it was his voice that he used when he was past angry. He was ready to kill.

"You just don't want me to bring anyone into any of our conversations, do you? First Mukuro, now Yukina. Hiei, I think you truly need to get your priorities straight," Kurama said purposefully pushing the demon before him forward. If he was correct, all he needed was some release. For now, fighting release would have to do. He was completely surprised when Hiei took a deep breath and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Kurama, I came here to talk about a matter that needs to be addressed, not to be nagged to by you like the Detective's woman does to him. Are you going to talk to me or not?" Hiei asked crossing his arms over his chest. All he wanted were answers.

When a sly smile came onto Kurama's face, Hiei knew he was going to make a comeback, "I thought we were talking." His voice was so innocent, but his eyes sparkled with the joy of Yoko's mirth. When another small growl came from Hiei, Kurama knew it was time to stop joking. "Yes, I will help you. Come with me," he said as he turned around. As he quietly followed the Fox into his ningen home, Hiei smelt the familiar ningens in the house as usual. There was Kurama's precious mother, her mate, and the man's son. The smell of Kurama and his plants also swirled within the domain.

Hiei couldn't keep his nose from twitching at the smell wafting from where the ningen woman made food. It smelt like sweets. Having a hidden sweet tooth, Hiei licked the corner of his lips at the smell. Ahead of him, he heard the Fox chuckle. "What's so funny?" he growled in response to the chuckle.

"You and your fixation for sweets. Give me a moment and I will go get you some of the dorayaki my mother made," Kurama said. Turning off quickly, he headed into the kitchen. As Hiei waited in the hallway, he scanned the house around him. The ningen boy was in his room, and the two older ningens were in the living room watching some brain rotting ningen television. The only thing he ever saw Akako watch on the damn thing were people singing in costumes. She called them musicals or something like that. Other than that, he had never seen her watching it much. She was usually on that, what she called it, a laptop doing school work or whatever she had to do. Television must have not been something she liked very much. "Here," Kurama said breaking him out of his trance. Reaching out quickly, Hiei grabbed the plate that Kurama held out to him. Looking down at the pancake like treats, he smiled on the inside.

Noticing that Kurama was walking up the steps, Hiei followed him. He had been in the Fox's room before, but he usually came in through the window. A few times he had come in through doors, but it was still odd to him. Kurama had to hold back chuckles of mirth at his friend's behavior. Waves of his aura were practically rolling off of him screaming that he was not one to be messed with. The funny part was, for some odd reason, it reminded him of a small kitten hissing up at someone. It tried to look threatening, but it never really was. If Shiori happened to walk into his room whilst Hiei and him were talking, she would instantly start fawning the S-Class demon with affections that were equivalent to that which were given to a child. As much as Hiei could make Kurama squirm, which he wasn't denying, Shiori could make them both squirm even more. It was kind of sad really. It probably came with being a mother.

Running up the steps past the speed any ningen could hope to accomplish, Hiei was grateful for once in his life to be locked in a small room. It kept the Fox's mother out. She was just so… he didn't know how to explain it. Finally realizing that he was safe from the clutches of the ningen woman, Hiei took in his surroundings. He was thrown off by how little was in the Fox's room. On a regular basis there was hardly any room to walk. Now, there was only a bed and a dresser. When Kurama sat down on the bed, he answered Hiei's unspoken question. "I finally graduated college and where I was staying in a dorm, most of my stuff was left at Mother's. Now I have an apartment. I thought you knew that, Hiei? Well, you might not have heard. But, yes, there is much less furniture in here now. It is all at my apartment," Kurama said putting his left ankle on his right leg and leaning his arms against them. it greatly lowered his stature. Patting the bed next to him, Kurama indicated that he wanted Hiei to sit down with him.

Huffing at Kurama's request, Hiei took his usual seat in the window. With one knee up and the other tucked under him, Hiei let his left hand hold the dorayaki plate on his lap. Grunting, he indicated for Kurama to start. He knew that the fox knew what was wrong with him, he just wouldn't tell him.

"As I said before, Hiei, this all has to do with your people. Over the last few months I have been watching you and Yukina to see how you would react to the change. Yukina knew it was coming, but apparently you were another story," Kurama said. At the face Hiei gave him, Kurama smiled. "No, Hiei, it is not that you will bear a child. That isn't for another few years. We'll worry about that when it comes to us," he laughed at Hiei's face. It was one of the few emotions he knew he would see on his friend's face. His mouth had opened slightly at Kurama's words, letting some of the dorayaki he had been chewing fall onto his shirt. His red eyes were wide in what looked like disgust at the thought. "Anyways, this is more about you coming of age would be a way to say it. Even though Kōrime bear children at the age of one-hundred, you still have to mature before that. Now, taking your height out of the thought, you look about nineteen or twenty in ningen years. Give or take a few years. Well, in the age of your people, since you nor Yukina have a correct estimate on your age, I would assume you are around seventy to seventy-five. That means that you matured around three times slower than that of a human. Well, as I said, I really have no true dates to go by, but this is as good as it is going to get. Plus, all my information could change due to how you aged in your childhood, just another thing I have no access to. What I have gathered from what I have read about Hina's people is that they sexually mature from the age sixty-five to seventy-five. That means, if you haven't gathered it already, that you are approaching that age. Yes, I know that you have been sexually active in the past, but you weren't truly mature. I actually assume that your sexual encounters won't be as, how can I say this, pleasurable as they could be until you fully reach this age," Kurama explained with his fingers tapping away on his leg. The pace at which he was rattling off facts made Hiei's head spin slightly. "Now, back to why you are here. I assume that you are experiencing a change of hormones about now. In a literal sense, you are like a hormone crazed, twenty year old, ningen male. Seeing that Akako happened to be the only female around that was either attractive to you or non-mated, it is likely that you have become rather attached to her. Not a friendly, fluffy attachment either, an attachment for you that is completely fueled by the thought of having sex with her.

I wouldn't even put sexual fantasies past you. In my opinion, that is exactly why the Jagan and Dragon have been acting up for you lately. They are also experiencing this chance. They may be almost like two other beings, but they are still hosted in your body. They have to adjust to the hormone changes in your body by balancing themselves out. That is why, my friend, you have been having all these problems. Assuming that this is all true, in the near future I see you starting to grow in height. You may have not noticed it, but Yukina has actually grown a few inches. You will probably even grow some also, maybe even to the full height of a fire demon male—which, from what I know, would be a rather larger improvement from your current height. If you did grow, it would probably happen quickly. The pains that your bones will be going through will be like that of literally having your bones ground to a pulp, then regrow. Quite pleasant if you ask me. Other than that, I really have no clue what is going to happen to you. Most likely the usual things that go on with usual twenty year old males," Kurama said. Hiei only looked at him oddly. Kurama was a twenty year old ningen male. He must know exactly what the hell it was like to be a "hormone crazed, twenty year old, ningen male" so why was he telling him all this "other than that" shit? It made no damn sense!

"Other than that?" Hiei asked leaning forward a bit. What Kurama had told him had made sense, but it was still new to him. Reaching down to grab another doriyaki, Hiei was surprised to find that he had eaten them all. The only thing his fingers touched was the glass of the plate. Looking down at his plate, he processed the words in his mind. All of what Kurama had said was true. Frowning at the plate, he tightened his grip on it. How had he not noticed the difference in not only himself but in Yukina. When a demon's hormones changed, they always let out a different smell. He knew that it was indeed hard to smell yourself, but he should at least smelt Yukina.

"Does that answer some of your questions?" Kurama asked. "I would be happy to answer any more that you have, that is, if I have the answers to them," he said with a smile. Glancing at Kurama through the corner of his eyes, Hiei gritted his teeth together. Sitting the plate down on Kurama's bed, he stood only long enough to open the window that he was sitting in. Giving Kurama a small nod, Hiei showed that he was content with the answers that he had gotten. Jumping out of the window, he landed silently on the ground below him. Straightening his posture, Hiei wondered what he was to do now. He had his answers, but what was he to do with them. Yes, now he knew why he was attracted to Akako. It was just his damn body. Once he hit this "sexually mature" age in which he would be able to get this damn thing over with, he would fuck her and have it over with. Maybe then he would finally be able to use his Jagan without it malfunctioning on him. After that, he might just go back to Makai. Then, when he would be able to use the Jagan and Dragon freely, he would spill as much blood as he desired.

It had been a while since he had tasted the blood of one of his enemies. To him, not only did each type of blood differentiated through demon breed, gender, and age, but it also changed due to the emotional state in which his prey was in. Blood was usually sweet when someone was happy or content when they died. It was rare, but he always relished in the rare taste. Those who were angry usually ended up with spicy blood. It was a hot spicy. Something that was burning hot in your mouth would almost be a good way to compare the taste. If someone died vengefully, it was typically a bitter taste. Those who were scared, they happened to be his favorite. There really wasn't a way to describe it. Each one did vary due to the oxygen and adrenaline content of the blood, but you could usually relate it to something. All the same, blood was blood. Something about the ways the different tastes would light up his tongue was not like anything he had every experienced in his life. Even the taste of his own blood was nice to him. He could taste his true emotions that boiled within him. Continuing to wander aimlessly, Hiei thought that finding him a good tree would be nice. There, he could sleep out in the cool breeze, and not have to smell as much of the ningens if he was far enough away.

As he continued to walk away, Hiei didn't even think much. He was simply just walking. The talking and smells of the ningen[1] around him faded away to almost nothing. It was at a point in which he would be able to deal with it, but it was still an annoyance. Looking around, he tried to find a decent tree. It had to be taller, and preferably non-coniferous. The smell of coniferous trees wasn't something he really liked. The way it stuck to one's clothing and skin was rather unpleasant. Add the damn sap that the trees leaked and you had too much effort. Getting the sap off of a cloak wasn't the easiest thing in the three worlds. It was too much of a hindrance to deal with. Even if you did wash it, there was always the after smell that a ningen might not be able to pick up, but it still lingered in the fabric and a demon nose could pick it up rather easily. Seeing that there were very few deciduous trees around, a frown formed on Hiei's face. The only deciduous trees were shorter than he would like. Sighing angrily, he had a choice to make: sappy, smelly, and tall, or pleasant smelling, non-sappy, and short. A scowl formed on his face. At his scow, for some reason, he thought of the time that Akako had reprimanded him for scowling as much as he did. She had said if he continued to scowl and frown as much as he did, his face would be stuck like that. In truth, it was almost always scowling, frowning, or angrily placid. Was there really any necessary need for other facial expressions? Not really. Going back to his enigma, Hiei looked at his options. Deciding that he would rather be closer to the ground than have the smell of sap all over him for months, he chose a shorter, deciduous tree. Jumping into the tree, he made himself comfortable on a set of branches that made a slight dip since the tree was small, therefore the trunk wasn't as wide.

Comfortable in the way in which he was sitting, Hiei let his muscles loosen a bit so that they wouldn't clench in his sleep. Waking up to sore, achy muscles had never been something he had been fond of. When he closed his eyes, he didn't feel the weight of the blood on his hands as he usually did. It was like the weight of the deaths he caused were no longer with him. He knew they were there, but they didn't bother him right them. He knew his hands would forever be stained, but it didn't matter at this moment. Right now all he was the mental image of Akako looking back at him in the bright sun. No matter how many shining things were around her, Akako's smile had outshone them all.

**[1] Okay, Japanese is kind of tricky. There isn't a plural for of any of their words. Therefore, when you are talking about one or more objects, people, whatever you are talking about, you simply have to specify how many you are talking about. Due to this, I have no clue if I should just write ningen, or ningens. I think I shall put it ningen. That would be more technical way to do it in Japanese.**

**As most of you may have noticed, I changed the summary of Leap. I think this summary is much more appealing and suits what I have planned for this story a little better than the previous one. Tell me what you guys think of it! I would love to hear what you guys think! I would also like to hear any suggestions you guys have for the story. It would be great to know what you guys think could go on with our dear little Akako! I also decided to try something else out with Hiei's chapters. I feel like they will flow better like this, and Hiei will be more in character than if I wrote in First Person for him. It is practically impossible. I was close to slamming my head against a brick wall the first time I wrote this chapter. After looking at the chapter that was around 3,000 words, I hit delete and started all over. This time it went much smoother! Yay! It may not be as long as the chapters usual are, it's not even close, but I think it went well. It may be shorter, but at least it got here. In the next chapter I will try to make it a bit longer. Since I have a basic idea of how the next chapter is going to play out, I assume it won't take as long to write as this chapter did. Even though I was clueless on what to do with this chapter for a while, I wasn't idling. I got at least five future chapters done. The far future, might I add. That should help some later. The chapters I have written are the chapters in which the story will be at its highest peak, so they will go very quickly. Yay for future planning, to a certain extent!**

**I would like to thank **_**Dr. Peppergirl **_**and **_**DemonMiko Jenna**_** for pushing me on. Dr. Peppergirl has become a good friend to talk to when I need help with my OC, you may know her from her wonderful Hiei OC **_**Haunted By Love. **_**It is a great story. Anyways, they are the one who pushed me on through this. I was always texting my friend Jenna to ask her if something would be okay, and she always answered me. I was surprised she didn't come over to my house to kill me due to how annoying I was most likely becoming. If it weren't for these two wonderful people, this chapter might not have gotten here. At all. It wasn't going very well…**

**Yes, I threw in some about the Kōrime. I thought it would be a good idea. I really wonder how much Hiei truly does know about his mother's people. Some of it probably doesn't fit the bill, but hey, tell me what doesn't. I have no damn clue about them. The anime was too vague to gather much of anything that could be used. Only that once a kōrime reached age 100 she would have a child. Other than that, there was nothing. I just thought it would be nice to give a little more action in this. It isn't only romance. There is quite a bit in this story that may anger, well frustrate would be a better word, you readers until you figure out where I am going with it. After that, you will see why it was so important! I hope to see you again in the next chapter!**

**With Love and the Blood of My Enemies,**

**Akara Kaiyo Suzuki**


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